A Double Wedding!

Viola weds Duke Orsino

Lady Olivia weds Sebastian

                        By Edward Grey                                           March 1602

Duke Orsino and Viola met about two months prior to their extravagant wedding in the kingdom of Illyria. Viola and her brother had recently been shipwrecked on the Adriatic Sea and she believed him to be dead. She came into Illyria under a disguise, pretending to be a young man named Cesario. She became a servant for Duke Orsino and very quickly fell in love with him. Viola knew this love could never amount to anything since Orsino knew her as a man; but that soon changed. In a huge unraveling of secrets, Sebastian, Viola’s brother, was discovered to be alive and recently married to Lady Olivia. At this same time, Viola’s identity was discovered. Duke Orsino was so pleased with Viola’s loyalty to him that he knew she was the one, “Give me your hand and let me see you dressed in woman’s clothing” he said to her. He did not even need to see her dressed as a woman before he proposed. 

Seeing that Sebastian and Lady Olivia’s wedding was very small with only one witness, Orsino and Viola decided they wanted to go in the complete opposite direction. They had hundreds of friends and family in the kingdom of Illyria come to their celebration of marriage. They did not want to waste much time so they planned to have their wedding three weeks after the proposal on March 10, 1602. 

The entire Kingdom was invited to the beautiful wedding and reception. Viola’s elegant long sleeve silk dress was the object of everyone’s attention. Since she had to wear men’s clothing for so long, the Duke spared no expense on Viola’s gown.  The dress, which had to be made rather quickly, looked like it took months to create. It fit her perfectly accentuating all of her features and forcing all eyes to be on her.  The finest beef, pork, and poultry were served at the reception along with the Illyria’s best made pastries and cakes. The wedding celebration soon turned into a celebration of both Orsino and Viola’s wedding along with Sebastian and Olivia’s marriage. The excitement of the party lasted late into the night.

The Details:

Date: 3/10/1602

Place: Illyria

Venue: The Grand Ballroom in the Duke’s palace

Music: Provided by Illyria’s finest musicians

Just Married!

   Elizabeth Bennet Weds Fitzwilliam Darcy 

  By Joseph Murphy                                   October 1812

      When Fitswilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet first met, marriage was the farthest thing from their minds. They did not enjoy each other’s company in the least. Elizabeth was told some false information about Darcy which made her detest him. Once these rumors and stories were cleared up, their passionate love began. Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, was set on him marrying her daughter, but Darcy told her, “I cannot imagine spending my life with anyone aside from Lizzie.” Miss Bennet is well below Mr. Darcy in social rank,but that does not bother either one of them.

      The wedding was on a beautiful autumn day in October, 1812 in Darcy’s gardens in Pemberley. The couple had always enjoyed taking long walks in the gardens so they decided the calmness and tranquility it gave them was perfect for their wedding. Friends and family from all around the country were invited to the wedding festivities.  

      Elizabeth’s dress (pictured) was very simple and elegant. With ruffled short sleeves and a low cut neckline, she was a beauty for all to see. The spectacular cake was made by one of the finest bakers in Pemberley, Mr. James Barret. It was so large; there was enough for all in attendance to have a slice. The music and dancing was a great deal of fun and went on for hours. Elizabeth’s younger sister Mary even played a piece on the piano. Lady Catherine herself even attended, although some of the guests say she was still rather enraged by the situation. The reception lasted all day, until the sun went down. Elizabeth and Darcy had a spectacular time.

The Details:

Date: 10/15/1812

Place: Pemberley

Venue: The gardens of Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy

Baker: Mr. James Barret

An Earnest Wedding!

Gwendolen Fairfax Weds 

Jack(Ernest) Worthing

By Virginia Miller                                       May 1895

      For years Jack Worthing had been living a double life which allowed him to go into the city as he pleased. He went by the name of Ernest instead of Jack and soon fell in love with Miss Gwendolen Fairfax. Gwendolen returned his love and especially loved that his name was Ernest. She specifically said that she had always wanted to marry a man named Ernest. Jack worried that if he told her the truth, that his name wasn't really Ernest she might not want to marry him. Therefore, he decided to be christened Ernest. Just hours before his christening was scheduled, Jack discovered who his parents really were (he was found as a baby in the cloakroom of a railway station) and that his real name is indeed Ernest John. He had actually been telling the truth about his name all along and Gwendolen truly did fall in love with a man named Ernest.

      The wedding came soon after these new discoveries. It took place in central London for all upper class men and women to attend. Gwendolen’s silk dress astonished all who laid eyes on it with its beauty. Ernest looked like the happiest man in the world when he saw Gwendolen walking down the aisle. There was an assortment of pastries, cakes, and candies for all guests in attendance. The music and dancing was a spectacular time for all. The couple’s first dance was a sight to see. The love in their eyes was seen by every bystander. The reception went on for hours until the guests could physically dance no more. It is simple to see the love between Gwendolen and Ernest will carry on for years to come.

The Details: 

Date: 5/05/1895

Place: London

Venue: Central London Ballroom