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and the guests needed to be invited. However, that wasn't the responsibility of the groom. That particular job fell to the father of the bride or some other close relative. This person would then travel around and deliver greetings from Peer and Mette and inquire if they would honor them by joining them at the church on their wedding day.  Afterwards they were also invited back to the house for a party and a just all around good time. So on the morning of the day before the wedding each invited family was required to bring a big bucket of fresh milk, a large dish of butter and a bottle of cream which was meant to help feed all of the guests that would be in attendance. 

Meanwhile, the bride would have gotten her dress made, either by a professional seamstress or by some other woman, because the bride was under no circumstances allowed to sow her own dress, even if she herself was a seamstress. The wedding day was upon them and the seamstress, as well as the other upstanding ladies in the neighborhood, showed up to help get the bride dressed and bind her head. Only young girls got their heads wrapped, while widows didn't. The traditional bridal headdress consisted of a neck piece made of stiff paper about 8-10 inches across. It was rounded and covered in fine fabric which had been adorned with tight laying lines of pearls 

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of all sizes and colors. It was fastened in the back of the neck, but not before her hair had been braided into pigtails. It was a tough job to get the hair just right because back then it wasn't customary for people to braid hair. You'd then gather every pearl that you could find, bead them all on string and wrap them around the neck piece. Then they would add bows, enough that they resembled a bushel of oats hanging down her back. 

Now the bride was ready and the musicians were out in the street greeting the arriving guests with a little song. A predetermined person would place a small stool by the wagons, assist people who were disembarking and bid them to come inside. The women were in the sitting room, while the men would congregate in the living room or in the barn, depending on where there was room. There were tables everywhere with trays of wheat cake that had been plated. This cake was accompanied by butter, beer and brandy. These aforementioned items were all that were served at such an event, and no one expected anything else. Now it was time to drive to the church, so everyone got in their wagons, and as soon as the procession started moving, the band