This past year, our Atlanta wedding photographers got to capture a wedding with traditional Scottish/Irish elements and customs. The ceremony was fun and heartfelt and just a great time for all. Our photographers learned a lot about the Celtic customs that were incorporated into the ceremony, which really highlighted the fact that many of these traditions are not widely known. That being said, this week we sat down, did some research, and are ready to walk you through a few of these interesting and meaningful Celtic traditions.

Photography by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

A big part of Celtic wedding tradition is what the couple wears. For example, Celtic brides will often incorporate Celtic symbols like knots, crosses, or shamrocks into the embroidery of their dresses and even their veils. For a bit of good luck, it is a tradition that the bride will add the final stitch to her dress on the day of the wedding. Another beautiful touch some brides add to their dress is Irish lace. You might also see an Irish lace headpiece or a veil with Irish lace accents. If the bride is Irish, she may also opt to have a blue wedding dress, as blue was the national color of Ireland prior to the nineteenth century when it was replaced by the green we see today. The groom often wears national colors so it would not be uncommon for the bride to match.

Photography by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

The groom will wear a tartan kilt. Irish kilt tartans represent the counties and districts of Ireland, while Scottish kilts differ in that they represent their clan or family name in their tartan design and color. There is also an Irish national tartan, made famous as a response to the Anglicization of the Emerald Isle by the British. The groom will also likely wear a Brian Boru jacket (named for the Irish warrior king), a white tux shirt with bow tie, knee socks with ribbons to match the color of their tartan, a Sporran, or pouch/purse to act as a pocket since the kilt doesn’t have any, and Ghillie Brogue shoes, a type of sport shoe with no tongue to facilitate drying, and long laces that wrap around the leg above the ankle and tie below the calf to facilitate keeping the tie clear of mud.

Photography by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

Celtic wedding ceremonies incorporate many “good luck” charms. The flowers the bride carries all symbolize luck, protection, sweetness, and love. In Ireland, the bride wears sweet wildflowers in her hair instead of a veil while in Ireland and Wales the bouquets consist of Heather and Myrtle sprigs, respectively. An Irish bride may also elect to carry a horseshoe instead of a bouquet for good luck. Another common custom is for the bride to stick a sixpence in her shoe to bring her and her husband good fortune for the future. Also the couples wedding bands, and possibly other accessories, are usually inscribed with a traditional symbol representing love. In Ireland, they have the Claddagh Ring, which features two hands around a heart with a crown over the heart.. During the engagement the bottom of the heart faces away from the wearers wrist and during the wedding the ring will be turned around so that the bottom of the heart is pointing to the wearers heart. In other Celtic countries, there is also the Celtic Love Knot symbol, which is shaped like two interlocking hearts and usually arranged inside an oval.

Photography by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

The ceremony itself also has a lot of meaningful rituals. During the ceremony, the bride and groom may choose to draw a Caim, or circle, that they stand inside that is lit with candles in each cardinal direction. This has connections to other pagan rituals, but Christians adopted it as well. In the Christian tradition, the circle represents the couple’s union with God and serves as a physical prayer. Also, the groom will gift the bride with a family coin, passed down to him from his mother, in order to show he financially trusts his new wife. One tradition many people might not be familiar with is the Oathing Stone ritual. This is an old Scottish tradition where the couple place their hands upon a stone, usually collected from a place significant to the couple and wiped with almond oil for protection, while saying their wedding vows. And to top it all off, once the marriage is official, bells will be rung to scare off evil spirits wishing to harm the couple and then the newlywed will walk back down the aisle accompanied by traditional folk music played on traditional instruments, such as bagpipes and harps.

Photography by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

The reception after the ceremony will usually incorporate more rituals that further cement and celebrate the couples new life. One Irish tradition involves the couple getting a set of bells as a gift during the ceremony while they take their vows. The couple then places the bell in a prominent spot in their home, and if/when the couple happens to argue they ring the bell as a reminder of their wedding vows. Another tradition that takes place during the wedding feast is the Quaich, or Loving Cup. This is where the newly joined couple both drink from the Quaich to illustrate the joys and sorrows of life that the new pair are promising to take on together. In some versions of the ceremony the loving cup is then passed among the family and friends at the wedding to show that the couple has the support of their community. The loving cup is often made into an heirloom that can be handed down through the family for generations. After, the guests will likely be served a traditional Celtic feast, including potatoes, cabbage, stew, beef or lamb, salmon, soda bread, and mead as a drink and dance the night away to more traditional Celtic music.

Thanks for checking out this Atlanta wedding photographers blog! I hope you enjoyed the read and that it inspired you to check out more of the many fascinating wedding traditions from around the world. Make sure you keep coming back to see what the Atlanta wedding photographers at Atlanta Artistic Weddings are up to! If you’d like to contact me go to the contact page and drop me a line at https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com/contact-atlanta-wedding-photographer. I would love to hear from you!

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