In 2006 my husband and I married in France in the Château d’Esclimont. The château was built for the Archbishop of Tours in 1543 when Henry IV was King of England and later Henry V (Once more into the breach dear friends).

Bride and Groom's Suite

It wasn't always the case that brides wore white to their weddings. In 1840, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Saxe wearing a white wedding gown. In those days, blue was the symbol of purity. White, on the other hand, symbolized wealth. Since white wasn’t generally chosen as the color in which to be married, Victoria’s dress came as quite the surprise, and that year brides began wearing white to emulate their queen.

In the past, young brides were thought to be particularly vulnerable to evil spirits. Thus, a veil was worn with the belief that it would fool the spirits. It was not until the 1800s in Britain that the veil came to symbolize modesty and chastity.

Adamo Morgese, our fabulous photographer

A law that went into effect in England in 1775 stated that a wedding would not be legal if the bride wore make-up during the ceremony. The rationalization went that if a bride wore make-up she might ensnare the groom with the illusion of beauty only to have him later discover the truth!

Before the use of flowers in the bridal bouquet, women carried aromatic bunches of herbs to drive evil spirits away as they walked down the aisle. Over time, these were replaced with flowers symbolizing fertility and love.

A few good men

For the reception dinner I changed from a veil into a mantilla. The mantilla’s origins go back to the Iberian culture, when women used veils and robes in order to cover and adorn their heads. The mantilla is a traditional Spanish headdress, which has a special significance in Andalusia. It used to be worn on daily evening strolls, but that tradition ended in 1868 and the mantilla was worn only for special occasions.

The golden vellie, a Zimbabwean tradition

The château has been the home of aristocrats, statesmen and politicians principally because of its proximity to Versailles and Paris. Today, it is surrounded by a 150-acre wooded park, the epitome of the perfect French château.

Wedding Morning -- Breakfast on the balcony

The ceremony was held in the upstairs Salon amongst large gilded paintings of the former inhabitants of the Chateau. Historically, groomsmen existed as men who could help the groom fight off other men who wanted the woman they had captured. They stood at the man's left, leaving his right arm free to reach his sword in case the woman's family should demand her return.

Once the rings were exchanged the marriage was official! The earliest evidence of wedding rings dates back to around 2800 BC in Egypt. In 860 Pope Nicholas I announced that a marriage must be sealed with a wedding ring. Wedding rings are traditionally worn on the third finger of the left hand because people once believed that this finger had a vein running straight to the heart and that to place a ring around it was to "capture the heart".

The tradition of bridesmaids began hundreds of years ago when families hoped to confuse evil spirits from identifying the Bride by placing her next to other beautifully dressed women.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue was a saying that originated in the Victorian era.

Touchdown

The night was capped off by fireworks over the chateau which the bride arranged a a surprise for the groom