I have yet to attend a Thanksgiving wedding, but the concept intrigues me. There are many Fall styled weddings, decorated with fresh Fall flowers such as chrysanthemums, sunflowers, and berries and held outside in barns, fields, and woodland copses. However, a Thanksgiving inspired wedding would be a profound celebration!
While I don’t picture a re-creation of the First Thanksgiving, certain elements could be incorporated along with the traditions acquired over years. This is especially true for the reception. A meal, simplified in its ingredients and courses and brought in from local farmers could be served family-stye. Turkeys wouldn’t need to be the centerpiece as there was probably a large variety of fowl the First Thanksgiving. Goose, duck, pigeon, and others may have been more plentiful than turkey. Venison was also plentiful; the Wamponaog brought five deer as gifts. There may not have been much bread, but the corn grown by the Wamponaog would have supplied grains, though as porridge. Shooting and entertainment was also a part of the holiday which lasted three days, according to the Smithsonian, during which the Pilgrims hosted 90 some of the Indians who had been such a vital part of their survival. If a couple wanted to be really lavish, they could create a days-long celebration for their guests. Although multiple days of celebration are not very common in the United States, they are in other countries with feasting and dancing lasting up to a week.
Regardless of the menu and the specific activities chosen, the spirit of the First Thanksgiving would be very appropriate at a wedding. What better way to celebrate a wedding than in the attitude of thankfulness? The Pilgrims and Indians gathered together, peoples who were vastly different in culture, but had chosen to establish peace and help each other, in order to express gratitude for God’s provision and faithfulness following hard times. The Plymouth Plantation has a good little article describing how they celebrated the first successful harvest and months of hard work. At base, doesn’t a wedding mirror this to some degree? It is the gathering of many people to celebrate the union of two people, two families, and to thank God for the richness and bounty bestowed on their lives by their mutual love and affection. Instead of a harvest of food, it’s the beginning of a harvest made by love and commitment. And, because we’re humans, the event is, of course, enriched by partaking of food together.
