The word 'wed' means to unite closely, to join in marriage, to
marry. The ceremony of 'Marriage' in Britain had a significant
development in the Middle Ages when the Church found it
necessary to create marriage ceremonies and legislation to make
marriage, a legal and binding contract. Prior to this, various
traditions in various countries, allowed marriage by verbal
consent, with no real means of confirmation and legality. The
Church therefore established the tradition we have today of
public ceremonies in the presence of a priest and witnesses to a
marriage and by the twelfth century, ecclesiastical wedding
ceremonies had become common in Europe. The ceremony of getting
married in Britain in the 21st Century is made up of traditions,
folklore and ritual. These date back to the Middle Ages and it's
important to understand how life was in the Middle Ages (a time
when evil spirits and magic charms were believed to rule our
lives) to be able to understand the basis of some of the rituals
and superstitions now as