One of the reasons I love the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility is the way it ended so romantically with the wedding of Marianne and Colonel Brandon. The scene began with children waving colorful ribbons on sticks following a man to church carrying a two- or three-tiered cake on a pole. How did this tradition start, I wondered? And why did the celebrants follow it?
First, let’s address the tiered wedding cake, whose origin lies in a romantic, though unsubstantiated tale:
Thomas Rich “was a young man apprenticed to a baker near Ludgate. He fell in love with his master’s daughter and, at the end of his apprenticeship when he set up his own business, asked for her hand in marriage. The proposal was given her father’s approval. As a baker, Rich wished to create a spectacular cake for the wedding feast, but was unsure of how to create something completely new for his betrothed…until, one day, inspiration hit him. A cake in layers tiered, diminishing as it rose. And thus began, according to the story, the tradition of the tiered wedding cake, based on Wren’s steeple for St. Brides. – City of London Churches, by Mark McManus
The origin of the wedding procession is steeped in history, tradition, and superstition. The custom began in the days of the Romans as a morning offering to the gods and an evening filled with song. Symbolically the bride was transferred from her home to that of the groom, who now assumed guardianship of his wife. While symbolism remained – wheat stood for ‘plenty’, for example – singers and musicians began to accompany the procession, adding an especially festive touch.
In medieval times, the processional was especially colourful. Gaily dressed minstrels sang and piped at the head of the procession. Next came a young man bearing the bride-cup, which was a chalice or vase of silver or silver-gilt, decorated with gilt, rosemary and ribbons. Then the bride walked, attended by two bachelors, and a dozen or so knights and pages. Next came maidens carrying bride cake, followed by girls with garlands of wheat. The bridegroom then appeared, led by two maidens, and walked in the midst of his close friends, including his “best man.” The relatives walked after him, and these were followed by less intimate friends. Finally, at some distance and appearing to have no concern in the festivities, or ceremony, appeared the bride’s father! – The Origins of the Members of the Bridal Party
As time progressed, the whole affair could become so noisy and disorderly that complaints were made by the town council. Should the groom elect not to walk with the procession, he would meet his bride at the door of the church or at the altar.
Ancient superstitions were attached to the wedding procession, many having to do with the success of the marriage and the couple’s happiness. One English custom said that the guest who found a ring in their slice of wedding place would be assured of happiness during the coming year. The ring would have been placed deliberately inside the cake before it was baked. In Yorkshire, if a plate holding wedding cake broke when it was thrown out of the window as the bride returned to her parents home after the ceremony, then the couple’s future would be happy. (From Wedding Superstitions)
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Bonus Question: What role did Edward Ferrars play on the day Marianne and Colonel Brandon were married?
Jane Austen's World 
[…] Austen’s Day. And while you are there…look at her story from a few days ago about the Wedding Procession in the 1995 S&S. And on her Jane Austen Today Blog, there is a great post on Fashionable Websites Jane Austen […]
Hi
i dont remember a much but what i remember is it was a good one
I can’t believe no one ever answered your question. Edward married them as that was his new parish.
Good for Isaspacey!
This blog is lovely for a Jane Austen lover. ~smile~
[…] About Weddings on this Blog: The Wedding Procession in Sense and Sensibility Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)The Little White Regency DressYou Can Wear It […]
Please! Mr. Ferrars and Ms. Eleanor Dashwood also got married. Clearly ’twas a double wedding.
Hi Hermione,
Actually, Edward married Elinor before Colonel Brandon married Marianne. It is clear in the film that Edward acted as minister to the happy couple.
“Elinor’s marriage divided her as little from her family as could well be contrived, without rendering the cottage at Barton entirely useless, for her mother and sisters spent much more than half their time with her. Mrs. Dashwood was acting on motives of policy as well as pleasure in the frequency of her visits at Delaford; for her wish of bringing Marianne and Colonel Brandon together was hardly less earnest, though rather more liberal than what John had expressed. It was now her darling object. Precious as was the company of her daughter to her, she desired nothing so much as to give up its constant enjoyment to her valued friend; and to see Marianne settled at the mansion-house was equally the wish of Edward and Elinor. They each felt his sorrows, and their own obligations, and Marianne, by general consent, was to be the reward of all.” – Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
I loved so much the 1995 version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensiblity movie with Emma and Kate playing sisters.Truefully I could plainly see which one I could see my own self being (Emma) and who my late and dearest cousin might have been (Kate) it’s amazing how Jane could be so close in relating to women’s personalities right up to this generation of my own. it was and still is a joy to pull the video out and look at the movie which I view only at home, and every moment the anticipation of the last scene of the wedding still makes a true believer of how romance is still alive, kudos to Ang Lee the
director . I’ll be looking for his movies in the future.
[…] The Wedding Procession in Sense and Sensibility, 1995 […]
I am so excited to find still images of this scene somewhere! I want to make some of these procession props for my own wedding but couldn’t think of where I would find it.
thank you
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