jamie and claire's wedding, two outlander weddings

A Tale of Two Outlander Weddings: Jamie + Claire’s vs. Roger + Brianna’s

Posted by Rachel Dillon

Who doesn’t love an Outlander wedding! We take a moment to look at two Outlander weddings. What are the parallels between Jamie and Claire’s and Roger and Brianna’s?

Ahhhh love.

There’s nothing like a wedding (or handfasting ceremony) to get you reminiscing about romance! Seeing Bree and Roger finally come together has been one of the highlights of Outlander Season 4 for me, and during Wilmington I couldn’t help but think back on the first major wedding of Outlander, Jamie and Claire! And the more I thought and analyzed the episode, the more I discovered many similarities between our two couples. Whether this was on purpose by the writers or just pure coincidence, here are some of the moments in Episode 409 that parallel the couple that started it all.

The Wanting

Jamie has mentioned quite a few times on how much he wants Claire. The first time happened in Episode 108, as the two snuck away to get in a quickie before getting back on the road.

“Does it ever stop, the wanting you?”

There’s another moment in Episode 109 where in their moment of kiss-and-make-up after the spanking, Jamie again expresses his desire.

“I want you Claire…I want you so bad I can scarcely breathe.”

For Roger and Bree, this moment happens before their wedding. After seeing Bree for the first time since traveling through the stones, he’s a bit upset that she didn’t know where they stood as a couple.

“Don’t you know how badly I want you?”

During the first proposal back in Episode 403, he also speaks of his wanting.

“I want you Brianna. I cannot say it more plainly than that.”

Seems like in the Outlander universe, “want” is pretty much the same thing as “love”!

The Ceremony

Jamie and Claire’s wedding may have been a much more formal ceremony compared to Roger and Bree’s, but both were strong in Scottish tradition. In Episode 107 we saw Jamie lead Claire in a vow-handfasting-blood binding ceremony. “Blood of my blood, bone of my bone.” *Swoon* Their wrists and hands were tied together as they recited those beautiful words in Gaelic.

The first time we heard of handfasting was back in Episode 309 when Fergus and Marsali proudly announced it to a perturbed Jamie. But we got to see the actual ceremony when Roger and Bree performed it in this episode. Fairly similar to the wedding, their hands were tied together and Bree was reciting after Roger. It may not have been in Gaelic but it was just as beautiful.

The Virginity.

Jamie was a virgin, a surprising twist that both book and show readers were thrown by.

Bree’s virginity became much more an issue in her relationship, to the point of causing her and Roger’s first (of sadly many) major fight.

The Beauty in Vulnerability

We knew when Claire was going back through the stones in Outlander Season 3 that she felt some insecurity. Twenty years older, would Jamie still want her? She carried that fear all the way till their first night together. Claire has a moment of vulnerability, naked in front of Jamie for the first time — she even slightly covers herself.

It’s a wonderful moment, and one that we see once again during Bree and Roger’s night.

Jamie and Roger sure know how to make a lady feel desired, sexy, and loved.

The Confusion of Passion

Being a virgin, it’s natural to have a lot of questions. Both Jamie and Bree had a bit of concern during their wedding nights.

It was cute to see that they were both concerned for their newly significant other over something that….well they didn’t have to be that concerned about.

The Heart Wants What It Wants

Both Jamie and Rogers are romantics at heart. And when it comes to their heart, they truly believed that they would see the light at the end of the tunnel being with the women they loved.

When I look at Sam Heughan and Richard Rankin, I feel like my heart is going to burst, too.

Looking at both these episodes, it’s amazing to see the many similarities between the two nights. Was it on purpose….or just coincidence? Writers have said that they love to give the readers Easter eggs, so maybe these parallels were their way of reminiscing about one of (or arguably) the best episodes of Outlander. Either way, I’m so glad they did.

Did you see any other parallels? What was your favorite part of the wedding nights?

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15 Comments

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Ani
· Reply

March 21, 2019 at 11:34 AM

Hi I don’t agree, the wedding episode was a perfect episode because the chemistry between JC. The dialogue and maybe some situations can be similars but the way was shown was totally different. Willmington episode was hard to watch and the scene when B lost her virginity was the worst, not passion at all, not chemistry, SS was good but RR not, even the effort of SS that scene wasn’t good. On the other hand with JC you can see the passion, the shyness and the chemistry which is very important, and SC did an extraordinary job.
- Rachel Dillon
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  Author
  
  March 23, 2019 at 12:06 AM
  
  Hi Ani!
  I believe there may be some confusion – I dont mean to imply that one wedding was better than the other. I wanted point out their many similarities. But I agree, Jamie and Claire’s wedding is pretty much perfect!
Patricia Barron Tardio
· Reply

March 21, 2019 at 9:11 PM

I also was not impressed with the Roger/Bree wedding. I wanted to be, honestly, but it lacked something for me that is hard to put into words. Perhaps because with all the past fights, misunderstandings, etc..I never have felt a true love between these characters. I always felt Roger adored Bree,but not the other way around to substantiate marriage. I also do not feel any real chemistry between them. To me, even though words were repeated from the Jamie and Claire wedding, they did not have the same impact. It was like watching any other couple have sex, but that was it. On the other hand, Jamie and Claire..that was mind blowing, humor, embarrassment, shyness, insecurity, full on desire…and a growth and understanding between two individuals in the span se of one night. Truely an exceptional episode in my opinion.
- Karen
  · Reply
  
  March 22, 2019 at 12:52 PM
  
  Roger and Brees wedding hasnt happened in the show yet
  - JAN CHARLES
    · Reply
    
    April 30, 2019 at 9:14 AM
    
    No, it hasn’t happened yet, but it was Brianna and Rodgers first time together. It just didn’t “feel” right.
    I suppose Cait and Sam’s unbelievable onscreen chemistry is an almost impossible act to follow, but as far as I could see, there was just nothing “real” there.
- Rachel Dillon
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  Author
  
  March 23, 2019 at 12:09 AM
  
  Hi Patricia! Yes Jamie and Claire’s wedding is pretty magical – its actually my favorite episode of the whole series! While Rogers and Brees wedding was not as perfect, its still cool to see just how many similarities there were. I guess no couple can be as awesome as Jamie and Claire 🙂
Kristin D. Gesner
· Reply

March 22, 2019 at 11:56 AM

I noticed and loved each one. An incredible gift for both the book and tv viewers…
- Rachel Dillon
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  Author
  
  March 23, 2019 at 12:12 AM
  
  Yes Kristin! I still can’t believe sometimes that they’ve turned these wonderful novels into a TV series, and a fantastic one at that <3
Karen
· Reply

March 22, 2019 at 12:54 PM

Roger and Brees wedding hasn’t happened in the show yet. Handfasting is NOT a wedding. So comparing show weddings my vote will go to Fergus and Marsali.
- Rachel Dillon
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  Author
  
  March 23, 2019 at 12:11 AM
  
  Hi Karen!
  Yes that’s true, however show watchers dont know that yet 😉 So to them, that was their “wedding”. It will be great to watch it in season 5!
Dawn
· Reply

March 23, 2019 at 11:04 AM

Hi Karen:

Great topic!

Oh, I loved the Jamie and Claire wedding. That whole episode was amazing storytelling. In that one
episode we saw so much. They unwrapped not only a wedding, but Jamie’s depth of feeling for Claire (it wasn’t just desire, he wanted to please her in their marriage)

As such, it showed us his character and we instantly fell in love.

The episode also introduced Claire’s growing feelings for Jamie–she fought them at first, still
wanting to get home to Frank, and as we watched more of The Wedding, viewers really saw how much she was falling for Jamie, how torn she was between her two men, and how guilty she was.

I thought the Bree/Roger handfasting was lovely, but I really wasn’t too invested in their relationship.

In Dragonfly in Amber, I really liked the Bree/Roger relationship, and I was really looking forward to seeing it unfold. Roger seemed like a mature, strong influence, while Bree definitely brought to him the carefree fun, that I really liked.

The problem was, as that relationship went forward, viewers really didn’t see any of the Bree/Roger relationship, we didn’t see them growing closer.

I kind of felt like the writers were rushing the relationship when in Season 4 they were hanging out it was so abrupt. I had to think “When did this happen?”

So when they were getting romantic and having arguments, it seemed very rushed. Viewers were expected to accept that Bree and Roger were at that point in their relationship–but we didn’t see any build up or anticipation for it.

Also, viewers were supposed to accept that the mature professor that we met in Season 2 was actually a male chauvinist who was acting very childishly. They didn’t seem like a couple to me that was actually ready for a serious relationship

So while I thought the Bree/Roger handfasting was lovely, I wasn’t as invested in their relationship

Just some thoughts

Dawn
- MG
  · Reply
  
  March 26, 2019 at 10:47 PM
  
  The show writers did Roger a huge disservice in portraying his character and his relationship with Brianna. In the book there was much more communication and connection between them. In the show, the phone conversation where he closed with “I have papers to grade” really annoyed me. In the book, when she went through the stones, she sent him her belongings for safekeeping, and when he followed and caught up with her, she said her objection was that without him in the 20th century for her to focus on, neither one had the connection needed to get back. Then when the argument happened after the wedding, it was clear that he was only leaving temporarily in order to procure gemstones for their return passage. With each successive episode, the divergence between book Roger and show Roger grows.
Dawn
· Reply

March 23, 2019 at 1:50 PM

Gosh, I’m sorry, I meant to say hi Rachel!
Karol
· Reply

March 29, 2019 at 10:02 PM

Hello all, boy what a fantastic discussion. Thanks for starting it. I have some definate feelings about this topic, so forgive the rant.

For me there is just no comparison between the two. As many of you have pointed out, Roger and Bree were hand fast so it wasn’t a real wedding ceremony ala Jamie and Clair’s. So thats number one. I’m hoping in season 5 we get to see two much more mature lovers, in Roger and Bree, celebrating their wedding night, with a slow sentual touch, like we saw with “Wedding”. The scenes between these two are not convincing. Im sorry, but it is the actors who have to make it happen. If they aren’t all in, we the audience will know it. Fingers crossed, because, I like Richard and Sophie separately, I just havent decided if I like them together. Producers need to think long and hard about the director for that episode. Seriously. Our patience is growing thin.

So I consume quite a bit of historical fictional drama. I thought the “White Queen” was the best I’d seen of on screen chemistry between two lead actors in recent years. However, I have said it before and I will say it again, season 1 episode nine of Outlander will go down as perhaps “the most” artfully produced, lushously sensuous segment of episodic television ever filmed. Watchers of this genra of television tend to be pretty sharp and well read. Myself included. But anyone with a pulse who watched, felt the sheer force of the electric connection/full on chemistry between Caitriona and Sam. It was authentic, it was magical, it was tender and the senuality waffed from the screen. Lets just begin with this. On the one hand we have Clair Randall an experienced woman, FULLY self aware and in the height of her sexaual powers. And on the other we have Jamie Fraser, our lucky young “padawan” who’s powers lie just beneth the surface, ready, willing and which are about to be untaped by this woman who has “it” who has that “thing”. He doesnt quite understand what “it” is but soon learns that really what she possess is what he desires most. She has “the key” to his heart. And oh does Clair Elizabeth Fraser, know how to skillfull use that “key.”

Where we see the true (DG)artistry at play is in all the complexities in this madning situation with these characters. Someone pointed out, we see Clair fighting against the circumstances she finds herself thrust in. She wants to stay faithful to Frank. She is fighting hard against this unearthly attraction and chemistry she feels for this man whom she barely knows, but is definately there (even Gellis senses it). A young man 5 years her junior, who has become her friend and bestie in this strange place, and in whom she has come to trust. She still carries a real love and loyalaly for Frank! (Sigh) its ALot! Jamie, on the other hand, feels a duty to protect Clair, but she is mysterious and doesn’t qiute know who she is in truth. BUT. Jamie is a young man. A man of passion. We saw him stealing those kisses in the alcove from “ she who will
Not be named”. He can’t deny his deep admiration for her, she is like no woman he has ever seen. From the moment they meet on the road he becomes her champion, begins to realize he has developed feelings for her. By the time she is captured there is no question he wants to protect her, keep her safe, and he WANTS her ( as he later confesses to her). My God, if this isn’t high drama and the hight of sensuality, I dont know what is. This episode is pure Ron D Moore, from his exquisite production team, a seminal piece of work by a consumate team of actors who collborated to create the most perfect episode of Outlander ever produced. And I MUST add, you simply DO NOT get that with out Sam Hughen and Caitriona Balfe.

If I’m Sophie and Richard, or whoever is directing them, I would be working really hard on getting in touch with how they want to develop these chacters going forward and how to be believably sensual with each other on screen. Whatever that looks like. If you want the audience to invest in this couple, like Jamie and Clair…we have to BELIVE that if they are within 5 feet of each other one look, one gaze will tell use eveything we need to know about them. They really need to make the audience believe they WANT to make love to one another and at least one of them knows how to do it right. Sophie, follow Clair’s lead! She is a sexually self aware woman. Learn from your Mum! We need to feel Roger and Bree’s love, even when they are just riding on a horese together, like Jamie and Clair. Gosh they gotta get it right, you know? Then I think you will see the audience invest in them more. Rewriting the same lines and duplicating scences wont do it, the audiuence is just too smart, and Sam and Cait just too, too good!
- JAN CHARLES
  · Reply
  
  April 30, 2019 at 9:01 AM
  
  Karol,
  You are so correct in your observations. Caitriona and Sam MAKE us believe they are besotted with each other, every glance, every touch, every kiss is real. Unfortunately the Bree and Rodger actors are wooden, I’ve never bought into them, actually not in the books either.
  Just the lowering of Sam’s eyes whilst looking at Caitriona, and her response, is enough to make us believe they fancy each other rotten, absolutely no doubt about it. And I do realise that it is acting.
  Claire and Jamie’s wedding was the most perfect episode ever.
  Rodger and Bree, well, their book relationship isn’t all that exciting either is it.