Category Archives: Regency Life

Christmas as Jane Austen Knew It

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 Many Christmas traditions and images of ‘old fashioned’ holidays are based on Victorian celebrations. Going back just a little further, to the beginning of the 19th century, the holiday Jane Austen knew would have looked distinctly odd to modern sensibilities. What would have been odd about them? Families rarely decorated Christmas trees. Festivities centered on socializing instead of gift-giving. Festivities focused on adults, with children largely consigned to the nursery. Holiday events, including balls, parties, … Continue reading →

Marriage Annulments in Jane Austen’s World

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Marriage was a serious business in the regency. Divorce was nearly impossible to obtain, but what about annulments? What happened if a young person ‘married in haste’ but then repented of his or her decision? Annulment, when possible, was the best option to end a marriage since it did not carry the social stigma of a divorce (which was nearly impossible to obtain). Unlike a divorce, an annulment voided a marriage, making it as if it … Continue reading →

Not a typo—I really meant Nuncheon

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On more than one occasion I’ve had a well-meaning reader point out to me a ‘typo’ that wasn’t. I’ll be the first to admit, my typing is less than perfect and typos get by me sometimes. But every once in awhile, I actually typed a weird looking word right.  The word in question is a weird one indeed. It looks like a modern word we use, sort of sounds like that word, seems like it … Continue reading →

To Love, Honor and OBEY in Jane Austen’s World

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Though nearly all of Jane Austen’s works end with a love match and a wedding, she does not represent the prevailing attitudes about love and marriage of the day. What did regency marriages look like? Marrying for Love was Unlikely While love might have been on the minds of regency era couples, they generally expected it to come AFTER marriage (if at all), rather than before.  For most, practical considerations were the backbone of most … Continue reading →

The Wedding Ceremony in Jane Austen’s World

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So you want to plan a regency era themed wedding ceremony> You might want to think about it a little more. The Wedding Ceremony Unlike weddings today,  the regency era wedding ceremony was not widely attended events. Obviously the bride and groom, along with their witnesses, usually the bridesmaid and groomsman and the clergyman were there. Close family might be there and possibly local close friends, but that was all. No huge guest lists or … Continue reading →