Fabric

• Clothing in neutral colors and ordinary fabric were worn by peasants.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Wedding clothes at this time were made of a variety of available materials. Richer and more expensive fabrics like velvet, silk and brocade were reserved for wealthy brides and grooms, while peasants would marry in linen or wool.
  
  During the crusades, knights brought back beautiful, ornate fabrics from the Far East, and rich people would use these beautiful fabrics for their clothing, especially for a court occasion or wedding.
  
  

Color

• Deeply colored fabric dyes were very expensive.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Wealthy brides in the Middle Ages did not wear white. Because deeply colored dyes were expensive, a sign of wealth would include a gown of deep burgundy, green or blue. Likewise, wealthy grooms of this era would wear breeches of deep velvet and a fitted jacket or vest richly colored or made of brocade in a lighter color. His wealth would also be apparent in the sophistication of the fabric.
  
  Poorer counterparts would marry in neutral colors, such as natural linen and faintly colored wool.
  
  

Style

• France has always had a huge influence on the fashion world.Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Fashion at this time was most influenced by France. Bridal dresses for wealthy women had fitted bodices that were relatively low cut and full skirts. Bodices were sometimes laced for a snugger fit. Fullness in the skirt was created by goring, or inserting, long, triangular pieces of fabric, with the narrow end at the waist and the full points at the hemline. Fashionable grooms wore breeches with a silk tunic and leather-laced vest or fitted jacket.
  
  A peasant woman's dress would not be as stylish as her wealthier counterpart's would; there were no gores, though the skirt would still have some fullness obtained by gathering the fabric at the waistline, and a more modest neckline. A peasant groom would wear wool breeches with a linen tunic and leather jacket or vest.
  
  

Beading

• Although beading wasn't in vogue for wealthy men at this time, it was popular for women's dresses worn for very sophisticated occasions, such as a wedding. Beads might embellish necklines, sleeve hems and bodices.
  
  Peasants, of course, were not allowed to wear clothing adorned with beads.
  
  

Recycle

• Today we vacuum-pack our wedding gowns and store them for posterity, but in the 13th century, brides and grooms would wear their wedding clothes again to fashionable dinners or on a visit to court.