If you’ve chosen to have an Irish wedding, you can incorporate all or at least as many as you can. There are various old Irish customs, which would make your Irish wedding, authentic. There are many Irish wedding traditions such as bagpipers, Claddagh rings and kilts. There are some amazing Irish wedding rituals and customs, believed to add luck to the marriage. Marriages may be made in heaven but takes a lot of work, and you do need all the luck you get to start on your new journey. You can even choose some of the best wedding venues in Ireland to give your wedding the real feel of an Irish wedding. Read on to find out more about some charming wedding traditions of the Irish:
Knot Tying
Just as rings signify the beginning of the bond between two people, the tying of the knot symbolizes the marriage bond between couples. The couple’s clasp hands and a colorful cord, rope or ribbon, the couples joined hands are wound with the ribbon or rope. This is to symbolize their agreement to spend their life with each other.
The best month for the wedding
According to an Irish song, a February wedding is fine and you can marry without dreading your fate. A March wedding brings both joy and sorrow, but April is joyful for both the husband and wife. It is considered that a May wedding is inauspicious. Those who wed in June will get to travel over sea and land. July couples have to struggle to sustain, and those who get married in August will see many changes in their lives. September weddings bring riches while October weddings are full of love but not riches. November brings only joy but December marriages mean that true love will last.
The sun, cuckoo and man
According to Irish belief in the 18th-19th centuries, it was considered lucky if the sun would shine on the bride. To hear the cuckoo’s call on the wedding day, and to see 3 magpies was also considered lucky. In addition, to increase good luck, a man should be the first person to congratulate the bride.
Claddagh Ring and wedding rings
One of the popular Irish wedding rituals and customs was the use of Claddagh ring. This ring is handed down from mothers to their daughters and is used as both the engagement as well as wedding ring. At the time of betrothal, it is worn with the crown facing inward and after marriage its worn outward facing, towards the nails. This custom is still popular today, and the ring is given as a gift to the bride. The wedding ring symbolizes the promise couples make to each other. To give your wedding that authentic touch, why not opt for the traditional Irish wedding ring for you and your partner. You can check out the different styles of Irish wedding rings online to get a better idea of how they look.
Irish lace
One of the most charming Irish wedding traditions is Irish lace. To match with your Irish wedding theme, you can use Irish lace as your veil or use it in your gown. If that is out of your budget, just carry a lace handkerchief.
Lucky Horseshoe
People all over the world consider the horseshoe lucky. One of the customs for an Irish wedding used to be that the bride would carry a horseshoe while walking down the aisle. Her new husband fixed it at her matrimonial home. These days, this custom has been reinvented, and instead of iron horseshoes, ceramic and glass horseshoes are used.
Wedding bells
The pealing of wedding bells was supposed to drive away evil spirits. This traditional symbol is presently used in the form of images of wedding bells used on invitations, stationery, decorations and buntings.
Incorporating these good luck traditions will start off your wedding on an auspicious note, as well as being fun and charming. To give it that special authentic touch, you can also sign up for Irish set dances with your fiancé and as many in the bridal party as possible, and have a gala time at your wedding. You can also opt to blend in the eco friendly wedding bouquet with recycled paper to your Irish wedding to make it more interesting.