The ceremony is going to be a very condensed version of a three day long Russian wedding. Some elements of the wedding have been modified slightly to accommodate the fact that we are at Pennsic and that most of the participants are going to be camping and won't be able to tote too much stuff along with them. If you would like to find out what the full length version of the wedding was like, you can read Paul's article in Tournaments Illuminated #113 or check out some of the sources in the SIG bibliography.
In the interest of time, this will simply be a display of things such as any correspondence, dowry arrangements, gifts, etc. that would have been encountered in a period Russian wedding. My personal ideas include having some birchbark letters of correspondence between Paul and my guardian (I probably wouldn't have written any of these even if I was literate), and a copy of the betrothal agreement.
Maiden's Party
What more can you ask for? Here is proof that bachelorette parties are period!!! Hairwinding (hair braiding) of the bride, singing, bride given ring for groom.
Processions
Procession One: Bride and Party--Bride dressed and veiled. Party proceeds to church/feast hall, carrying bride's dowry, proceeded by bridesmaid carrying icon. Bride carries karavai (a ceremonial loaf of bread, sot of like period wedding cake). Cloths are used to walk on.
Procession Two: Groom and Party--Proceed to outside of wedding place, kneel or bow in all four directions. Wait outside until bride is seated.
Hairwinding
Bride gives karavai to bridesmaid to slice and serve it. Bride sits, groom enters and sits next to her. Groom's hair is combed. Bride's hair is re-braided into two braids (symbol of a married woman). Hops and money are showered on the couple by the groom's mother (symbol of fertility and prosperity). I'm still not sure how the bride's hair is supposed to be rebraided without the groom sneaking a peak.
Crowning/Ceremony
Depending on how people feel, we may not have the crowning part done.
Bride and groom proceed on a cloth to the altar and stand on a fine cloth or rug. The groom is on the right hand side of the priest, bride is on the left. Each holds a burning candle throughout the ceremony. Blessing, exchange of rings, crowned with wreaths. Bride knocks head against groom's foot (show of submission to husband, Paul likes this part), he covers her with the edge of his cloak (symbol of protection).
Feast and Gifts
This may not be an actual feast or even a large reception since this would be a hard thing to pull off at Pennsic. At the least, we will have a party with refreshments.
Bride and groom recess, bride's mother showers couple with money and hops (include guests in on action?). Feast traditionally includes roast swan, exchange of gifts, and the bride's father gives groom a whip which is later hung over the bed (supposedly) to encourage the bride to obey her husband. We are going to leave out the traditional "blows of the whip"
Please tell me what you think about the wedding idea
