Weddings historically have been considered one of the happiest, most spirited and fun occasions in life. Any banquet or festival implied a break from work for m

Weddings historically have been considered one of the happiest, most spirited and fun occasions in life. Any banquet or festival implied a break from work for many and a chance to eat and drink better than usual. They were displays of excess and festivity when such only came a few times a year or less. People wrote about them the way someone might write about taking an overseas vacation today. I think the placement at the wedding is to contrast the horrowing nature of the tale. Setting a story at a wedding would instantly evoke a specific feeling in an audience similar to setting an event at a house party might instantly evoke a feeling in a modern reader (not the same emotions obviously).