Irish Wedding Customs and Traditions

By Bridget Mora

More and more couples are deciding to honor their heritage when they plan their weddings. Brides and grooms whose families hail from the Emerald Isle will find that they have a wealth of traditions from which to choose. These are some of the wonderful Irish wedding customs that you can include in your own nuptials.

Jewelry often symbolizes the beginning of an engagement as well as the start of a marriage, so this is where we will begin. The claddagh ring is a traditional and beloved Irish symbol and is often a part of a couple’s bridal jewelry. It is a design consisting of three parts, each of which has a special meaning. There is a pair of hands, symbolizing friendship, a crown for loyalty, and a heart for true love. The claddagh is a very popular choice for Irish wedding bands, and the motif is often used in other parts of the wedding, such as the invitations.

Many of the Irish wedding traditions have to do with good luck, and there are a few very easy ones that any bride can use. It is said that whenever the bride wears her bridal jewelry, especially her wedding earrings, that it will bring her good luck all day. Another custom is that the bride should never put on her own veil on the day of her wedding; rather, she should have a happily married woman do it for her. It is also said that rain on your wedding day is lucky, which is a good thing for brides who live in rainy Ireland!

Catholic weddings are the most common type amongst the Irish, but there is an old Celtic ritual that may interest Americans wishing to bring a touch of Ireland to their wedding day. This rite is called handfasting, and it is actually the origin of the phrase “tie the knot”. The bride and groom would stand facing one another with their hands crossed and clasped in front of them. A ribbon is then bound around their wrists, tying them together with an infinity symbol. In ancient times, this ceremony was done during the harvest festival, but couples who would like to use a traditional Celtic rite in their weddings now practice handfasting at any time of the year.

Food and drink are important at any wedding, and this is certainly true of the Irish. One lovely tradition to include in your wedding is the Irish wedding cake. It is usually a rich fruit cake, which is beautifully frosted in white. The top layer is supposed to be filled with Irish whiskey and saved for the Christening of the first baby. You can consider having your wedding cake frosted with traditional Irish designs, such as a basketweave texture, or even shamrocks. If your baker does not have the recipe for the Irish wedding cake, you can easily find it online.

Irish weddings are big festive parties, and the ceremony and formal reception are only the beginning. After the reception, it is customary to invite guests to an open house to continue celebrating. The hosts generally provide music and light fare, and the guests bring the Irish whiskey. After that, the party keeps going, as the younger guests will head out to a club to dance the night away.

Weddings that last many hours or even days are actually very common in many parts of Europe, so if you are planning to attend a wedding in Ireland, be prepared for a lot of fun! And when everyone raises their glasses to toast the newlyweds, be sure to call out, “Slainte!”, a traditional Irish cheer meaning “to good health”.

Ask Bridget for advice in areas of jewelry or weddings. She writes numerous articles providing information for the customers of Silverland Jewelry.com. A beautiful set of bridal jewelry will become your favorite jewelry to wear year after year.

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