Weddings: Irish Weddings Home: greenlightwrite.com featuring
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St. Patrick's Day Romance Weddings If you've a splash of Irish ancestry or you just want to know what makes Irish weddings Irish, here are some traditions. Incorporate them into your own ceremony or suggest to a bride to be. Enjoy, PS If the ceremony will be religious in nature, check with the celebrant for restrictions. |
By Jane Marie
A
Marriage Blessing May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children's children. May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Invitations Find a special phrase like the one above from one of the many collected volumes of Irish wisdom and have it printed on the wedding invitations or napkins.
Wedding Dress As with all brides, an Irish girl wears the most beautiful dress she can. To make it extra special, the dress is often enhanced with shingerleens [pronounced shing-erleens] which are any variety of lace, embroidery, tassels, ribbons, jewelry or anything extra fancy added for decoration. In ancient times, the color of the dress was blue.
Colors Green didn't become synonymous with Ireland until the 1800s. Prior to that the national flag had a blue background with a gold harp so blue and gold were popular. Today, pastels from pinks to yellows are used everywhere for decorating, so these colors, too, make lovely combinations. The lavender look of the distant mountains would make a strong statement about what touches the heart.
Flowers A wreath of flowers on the head of the bride and / or her maids is in keeping with Celtic tradition. Roses, foxglove and ivy all grow in Ireland and are available in the United States, too. Oxalis has larger leaves than those of the Irish shamrock, but it's a perfect substitute. Carry it or place potted plants on the tables for centerpieces.
Rings The exchange of the Irish Claddagh ring, with its hands, crown and heart, symbolizes respectively friendship, loyalty and love. Rings bearing Celtic knots, spirals or emeralds are lovely as well. Gimmel rings are a variation on the Claddagh symbol. They are made of three interlocking rings with two hands covering one heart.
Ceremony Traditional religious doctrine held that a couple could not marry during Lent, so Shrovetide, December 6th until the Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday) before Ash Wednesday, came to be the most popular time of the year for weddings. A church wedding is always beautiful. Decorate the pews, if permitted, with coordinating colors to match your flowers. If the weather cooperates, you could have the ceremony performed in a field of flowers as the ancient Celts did.
Irish Music Hire Irish dancers, a band and / or a piper to perform songs during the reception. CDs are readily available from jigs to slow secular to sacred music. The hardest part will be choosing your favorites.
Cake Topper Find or fashion a shamrock, crystal harp or anything you choose that represents Ireland for a cake topper.
Refreshments Serve Irish food. If the day will have a chill to it, consider serving a brimming kettle of pea and ham soup with soda bread or scones. Don't forget the mead, an ancient Celtic beverage made from fermented honey.
Wedding Party Gifts Embroider a white shamrock, three leaf clover representing the Holy Trinity, in the corner of a handkerchief for the bridesmaids. Go with a green shamrock for the groomsmen. Irish symbols such spirals, shamrocks, harps, Celtic knots or Celtic crosses in the form of earrings or necklaces make grand gifts.
Gifts to Give the Newlyweds
Good Luck / Superstitions Traditionally after the exchange of wedding bands, the groom gave his bride a coin to represent all he owned. It was said to bring luck and love to the couple. Modern couples exchange coins as well. Should they click, they will have children. These coins are passed down through the generations. His Goose Is Cooked The groom is invited to the bride's home the night before the wedding to eat cooked goose for good luck. Ringing bells after the ceremony will frighten evil spirits away and bring harmony to the newly married couple. Ring the church bells or bells of any kind. As favors, pass out little bells to all the guests so they may send the couple off safely. Three bites each of oatmeal and salt for the bride and groom at the reception will ward off evil spirits. Singing by the bride or groom brings bad luck. Brides often carry a horseshoe turned with the legs up so the good luck won't spill out. If you like this idea, but don't want to carry an actual horseshoe, embroider one the hem of the bridal gown or the slip underneath. Or wear a small horseshoe pin. Both of the bride's feet cannot leave the floor at once, lest the fairies carry her off! As the bride and groom depart after the ceremony, an old shoe must be tossed over the bride's head for luck! By definition, many of these customs go way, way back. Why not continue the traditions for future generations to witness? |
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