A Time of Chivalry, Magic, and Romance:
Weddings at the Texas Renaissance Festival

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Once upon a time a Prince and Princess fell passionately in love. They traveled to a magical village to celebrate their marriage with family and friends. There, amidst the blossoming flowers and burgeoning vines, courtier and commoner alike cheered them. Bagpipers led the bridal procession to the wedding. Villagers stopped to view the bride as she passedina beautiful horse drawn carriage. The finest swordsmen in the realm drew their blades to form an arch for the bride to pass under as trumpets heralded her arrival. Flower petals descended gently on the breeze as the Lord and Lady pledged their love and devotion to one another.

“Like many little girls, I used to dream of having a fairy tale wedding,” remembers Kim Allen-Dickey. “Little did I know that I would be in charge of them.” Allen-Dickey is the Wedding Coordinator for the Texas Renaissance Festival and personally oversees each wedding at the festival. “There are very few places that can honestly say they provide all that is needed for the bride and groom to be swept up into a simpler time, far removed from the burdens of modern life. Our wedding packages indulge that yearning for fairy tale fantasy. We create the fairy tale and allow the bride, groom, and guests to play the main characters.”

The Texas Renaissance Festival will host over 60 weddings this year. Each couple can choose from five unique wedding locations in New Market Village (the festival’s recreated 16th century English village), The King’s Chapel, The Magic Garden, and the newly-constructed Roman Basilica, a classical setting inspired by the ancient Roman Temples of Venus. These unique settings are complemented by three all-inclusive packages that can fit the budget of a pauper or a king. [Click here for a photo gallery featuring the various wedding venues.]

“All you have to do is meet your Prince Charming or Snow White,” laughs Allen-Dickey, “we’ll do the rest.”

For more, see www.texrenfest.com.

Photo courtesy Texas Renaissance Festival