. ▁Wed d ings ▁were ▁often ▁elaborate ▁occasions ▁for ▁public ▁celebr ation ▁and ▁fe ast ing . ▁Among ▁the ▁poor ▁the ▁tradition ▁of ▁the ▁pen ny ▁wed ding ▁developed , ▁by ▁which ▁guests ▁contributed ▁to ▁the ▁costs ▁of ▁occasion , ▁with ▁a ▁me al ▁after ▁the ▁ceremony , ▁sometimes ▁followed ▁by ▁music ▁and ▁dan cing . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁modern ▁era ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁stress ▁on ▁a ▁wife ' s ▁duties ▁to ▁her ▁husband ▁and ▁on ▁the ▁virt ues ▁of ▁ch ast ity ▁and ▁ob ed ience . ▁How ▁exactly ▁patri archy ▁worked ▁in ▁practice ▁is ▁difficult ▁to ▁disc ern . ▁Scottish ▁women ▁in ▁this ▁period ▁had ▁something ▁of ▁a ▁reputation ▁among ▁foreign ▁obser vers ▁for ▁being ▁forth right ▁individuals , ▁with ▁the ▁Spanish ▁amb assador ▁to ▁the ▁court ▁of ▁James ▁IV ▁not ing ▁that ▁they ▁were ▁" absolute ▁mist ress es ▁of ▁their ▁houses ▁and ▁even ▁their ▁hus b ands ". ▁ ▁Before ▁the ▁Re formation , ▁the ▁extensive ▁marriage ▁bars ▁for ▁kin ship ▁meant ▁that ▁most ▁noble ▁mar ri ages ▁necess itated ▁a ▁pap al ▁disp ens ation , ▁which ▁could ▁later ▁be ▁used ▁as ▁grounds ▁for ▁ann ul ment ▁if ▁the ▁marriage ▁proved ▁polit ically ▁or ▁personally ▁incon ven ient , ▁although ▁there ▁was ▁no ▁divor ce ▁as ▁such . ▁After ▁the ▁mid - six teenth ▁century ▁these ▁were ▁reduced ▁to ▁those ▁in ▁Lev it icus ▁ 1 3 : ▁ 4 - 1 3 , ▁which ▁limited ▁them ▁to ▁relationships ▁in ▁the ▁second ▁degree ▁of ▁kin ship .