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Here Comes The Bride
Weddings were as popular in Edmonton's early days as they are today. However, the rituals have changed significantly over the years. Enjoy these historic wedding facts:
- In the early days of Fort Edmonton (c.1846), men would primarily marry First Nations women, and the wedding ceremonies would blend Aboriginal and European beliefs.
- A woman would undergo a cleansing ritual before the ceremony, where her hair would be unbraided and washed, and it would be left loose for the ceremony. (A woman’s hair told of her marital status – one braid meant she was single, two braids meant she was married, and loose hair with a small portion braided meant she was a widow.)
- First Nations women held a position of great value in their families, as they were highly skilled. Therefore, as part of the ceremony, it was required for her husband-to-be to offer valuable gifts to her family in exchange for her hand, as a means of compensating her family for taking her away from them.
- An employee of the Fort (c.1846) was required to get permission to marry not only from the woman and her family, but also from John Rowand, Chief Factor of the Fort.
- In the settlement of Edmonton (c. 1885), weddings were not always unions of love. Mourning weddings were held if one of the betrothed died, then the remaining partner would be quickly married to one of their betrothed’s siblings.
- By 1905, civil ceremonies were becoming more accepted, particularly if the couple was of different classes or religions. The ceremony would be short, and very similar to weddings performed today by Justices of the Peace.
- In the early 1920’s, many war brides came to the Edmonton area. During this time there were tremendous fears about outbreaks of the Spanish Flu, and the government decreed that weddings were to have no more than twelve guests present in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
The Hotel Selkirk was once the venue of many society weddings. In honour of that history, the Hotel Selkirk offers attractive wedding packages. Allow our experienced wedding planners to take care of all of the details to make your wedding a day and night you will never forget.
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