The Wedding of Bessie Lee and Mr. Leaven



The License

Publishing the Banns. Unfortunately, Bessie and Mr. Leaven were bound by a stricter financial allowance for the wedding than my previous two customers. Therefore, I had to rely on an old method of obtaining a wedding license: publishing the banns. Because Bessie and Mr. Leaven belonged to the same parish near Gateshead Hall, the banns were read in that church for three consecutive Sundays. No objections were made, and it cost nothing to have the banns called, which allowed the Leavens the opportunity to save money for their upcoming nuptials.

The Clothes

Bessie's hair was in an elegant updo
The dress: Bessie's dress, unlike that of Margaret's or Elizabeth's, is not new. It is her nicest dress, however, and made of muslin. While Bessie wasn't able to wear white, her lavender dress set off her rosy complexion well and all the guests had only compliments to give out to the bride. 

The groom's style: Mr. Leaven wore his finest black coat with self-covered buttons and a black waistcoat. These garments, like those of Bessie's, were not newly bought for the wedding; however, Robert did purchase new silk stockings. 

Bridal accessories: Bessie re-purposed a clean bonnet given to her by her great-aunt for the occasion years ago which had gone out of style by setting it with white lace pieces. Robert's ring to her was thin and made of bronze, but he had it engraved with the wedding date on the inside, which was a pleasant detail. I actually remember hearing during the ceremony hushed whispers of admiration by the crowd towards Bessie's engraved ring, which offset those snickers from her relatively better-off sisters towards her used lavender wedding dress and re-purposed bonnet.


Photography came to prominence during this period, giving us some photographs of Victorian weddings.
The dress

The Guest List*

The wedding party:
  • The bride: Bessie Lee
  • The groom: Robert Leaven
  • The best man: Robert's friend, Ernest White
  • Bridesmaid: Bessie's younger sister, Mary
  • Father of the bride: Charles Lee
  • The clergyman
  • The parish clerk
Invited guests:
  • Bessie's immediate family (her mother, father, two sisters, and older brother and his wife)
  • Robert's immediate family (his mother, father, three brothers and their wives)
( * As the servants list of Gateshead Hall is not elaborated upon, nor is Bessie's family ever described in Jane Eyre, I had to improvise and be creative with the guest list)

The Timeline


June 12, 1847 (a weekday, also a Wednesday)

7:30 a.m.: The wedding party and guests arrive to the church.

7:45 a.m*.: Church service: exchanging of the vows, prayers, a blessing, Scripture readings, and a homily

8:45 a.m.: The ceremony ends and the Leavens sign the wedding registry. The guests leave to go to work.

6:00 p.m.: The wedding reception is held at the house of Bessie's parents after work. Only the immediate family of Bessie and Robert attend.

* There is a stricter time difference between the time of arrival to church and service itself; that is because the wedding guests have to go off to work after the ceremony is ended and until the wedding reception takes place.

The Food

The wedding breakfast was minimal and served only to immediate family who attended the evening reception. Bessie cooked the wedding cake herself and it was finished up by the ravenous crowd within the hour! The main course consisted of soup, buttered toast, and eggs. Though the food wasn't as much as that served at the other two weddings I presided over, it was still a cheery event.
Posted by