penny weddings
Preserved but no longer current.
Weddings formerly in vogue among the poor in Scotland and Wales at which each of the guests paid a small sum of money not exceeding a shilling. After defraying the expenses of the feast, the residue went to the newly married pair, to aid in furnishing their house.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “penny weddings” mean?
Weddings formerly in vogue among the poor in Scotland and Wales at which each of the guests paid a small sum of money not exceeding a shilling. After defraying the expenses of the feast, the residue went to the newly married pair, to aid in furnishing their house.
Is “penny weddings” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.