Editing Old gods (section)

===Marriage customs===
A [[marriage]] ceremony takes place in front of a [[heart tree]].{{Ref|ACOK|34}} The bride's father, or the person standing in his place (usually kin or whoever else is closest to living kin), will escort the bride to her future husband and those presiding over the marriage.{{Ref|ADWD|37}} Thus far, all the wedding gowns that have thus far been described for a follower of the old gods have been a shade of white.<ref group="N">Though her ceremony is done following the customs of the Seven, [[Sansa Stark]], a worshipper of both the old gods and the new, wears a gown of ivory [[samite]] when she weds [[Tyrion Lannister]] in ''[[A Storm of Swords]]'', [[A Storm of Swords-Chapter 28|Sansa III]]. [[Jeyne Poole]], during her ceremony following the customs of the old gods, wears white lambs-wool when she weds [[Ramsay Snow|Ramsay Bolton]] in ''[[A Dance with Dragons]]'', [[A Dance with Dragons-Chapter 37|The Prince of Winterfell]].</ref>

Marriage ceremonies are rather short and contain no priests. The bride is escorted to her groom, who awaits her in front of the [[weirwood]] tree in the [[godswood]], and a ceremonial conversation follows, where the identity of the bride, of the groom, and of the person giving the bride away are established. The bride is asked to accept her husband, and upon her agreement (''"I take this man"'') bride and groom join hands, kneel before the heart tree, and bow their heads in token of submission. When they rise following a moment of silent prayer, the groom removes the maiden's cloak, and places the bride's cloak around her shoulders, after which he will carry her to the feast in his arms.{{Ref|ADWD|37}} The wedding ceremony is followed by a feast, which in turn is followed by the [[bedding]].{{Ref|ADWD|37}}{{Ref|ADWD|49}} 

Marriage vows said at swordpoint are not held to be valid, but even if the marriage occurred under force, a lord might claim the marriage to be legal if e.g. lands are at stake.{{Ref|ACOK|35}}

Lords in Westeros once had the right to the [[first night]], the custom of bedding newly-wed women before their husbands. Queen [[Alysanne Targaryen|Alysanne]] convinced King [[Jaehaerys I Targaryen|Jaehaerys I]] to abolish it,{{Ref|TSS}}{{Ref|ADWD|43}} but it is still practiced illegally in some parts of the [[north]], as ''"where the old gods rule, old customs linger"''.{{Ref|ADWD|32}}