Anglo - Saxon
shorter, looser sleeves. Under this might be worn a linen underdress. A mantle might be worn
over the outer dress, along with a cloak. After the introduction of Christianity, all women
(except for very young girls and occasionally slaves) would wear some kind of headcovering,
usually a draped couvrechf, the ancestor of the later wimple. Like men, free women would
also carry a seax as a sign of their freedom.
Weddings
The modern engagement is rooted in the Medieval customs of publishing the banns and
handfasting. The handfasting ceremony usually took place when the couple was very young,
often many years before the actual wedding. It was this ceremony, not the wedding, that
produced the exchange of vows which are now part of the Anglican wedding ceremony . This
was also time for bride price and dowry to be exchanged. The ceremony was sealed with a
drink and a kiss.
The first marriages were by capture. The groom, with the help of his warrior friends (his best
annaabi.ee 
