Ten Ways To Have An Irish Wedding
|
Honor your Emerald Isle heritage with traditions that are romantic, clever, and a couple that are downright strange. Uncover here how to fill your wedding with all things Irish save the Blarney Stone.
Harvest Knots
According to history, Irish men declared their intentions of marriage by giving their fiancee harvest knots of straw decorated with flowers or bells to wear in their hair or around their neck. Make a harvest knot to wear on your wedding day, or place one in your bouquet to symbolize your Irish heritage.
Ceilidh
The steps of Irish folkdances are called ceilidh. Treat your attendants to an Irish dancing lesson, and then "perform" a jig to traditional Irish music at the reception.
Lace! A way to incorporate Celtic pride into your wedding attire (besides hand-beading four leaf clovers all over your gown) is to adorn yourself with beautiful Irish lace. Known for its intricate patterns and zenith quality, wear a veil or carry a handkerchief made of this intricate Irish decoration.
Playin' o' the Pipes
Infuse your ceremony with the strains of the Irish pipes. Although bagpipes have Celtic roots, they are traditionally Scottish. For a truly Emerald Isle affair, locate an Irish uillean piper to lead the processional or recessional.
Irish Wedding Feast
The customary wedding feast in Ireland was a potluck hosted at the bride's family's home. Each guest brought traditional Irish dishes such as soda bread, coddle, and stew. Even if you're having a more formal reception, you can still celebrate this Irish tradition by having a "feast" for your bridal shower or rehearsal dinner.
The Wedding Cake
Old custom dictates that the Irish wedding cake (usually a dense fruit cake with white icing) was cut by one of the bride's sisters or bridesmaids. Where would they cut it? Over her head, of course. The bride remained seated while the groomsmen held the cake over her head while her sister or best friend did the honors. Our only concern: this tradition works best and safest when the cake is NOT a four-tiered confectionary concoction. Eeeek!
Noise Makers
A noisy way to ring in your nuptials with the luck o' the Irish is to have a recessional like those in Celtic history: instead of throwing rice upon exiting the church, men would fire rifles or other firearms into the air to signal that a couple is wed. Not your traditional exit (most churches would frown upon guns in the parking lot), if the men use blanks in their guns, and if you are getting married in an area without noise ordinances, then fire away, Irish style.
Giving the Claddagh
Two hands holding a heart underneath a crown is the Irish symbol for "Let Love and Friendship Reign". Share your Irish heritage with your attendants by giving them Celtic-inspired gifts marked with the claddagh. Give your maid of honor a candle gift engraved with the "faith ring", or jewelry made of claddagh. Buy claddagh wedding rings, or wear the Irish symbol around your neck on your wedding day as a reminder of your heritage.
Tokens of Hair
A more unusual Irish tradition is for the man to give the woman he loves a bracelet woven of human hair. Symbolic of acceptance, when the woman wears the circle of hair, she is linking herself to him for life. There's no mention of exactly who's hair it is, however, so if wearing hair jewelry gives you the heevies, see "Harvest Knots" for the same idea, using straw instead.
Lucky Dates
The traditionally superstitious Irish believed that the last day of the year is especially lucky, since the couple would wake up on the first day of their new life on the first day of the new year. Plan your wedding for December 31, the luckiest of Celtic days.
Jackie Duescher provides the customer service for Keepsake Favors as well as inspiration for many of the favor creations on the site. Jackie has a special knack for finding Irish themed favors for weddings other occasions, and she firmly believes that a favor doesn't have to be expensive to impress your guests.
|
|
|
Let Your Wedding Flowers Speak The Language Of Love
Congratulations! You have found the man of your dreams and are getting married. What a wonderful time in your life ? full of promise, hope, and happiness. Can you think of a better way to express these emotions than through flowers? A wedding would just not be the same without wedding flowers.The Tradition of Wedding FlowersCarrying flowers by the bride is not something ne...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Slash Your Wedding Ceremony Bills
When it comes to your wedding services alone, nobody wants to spend an arm and a leg on this and still have to foot the bill for the reception. Really it depends on where you want to your wedding to be and what type of service that you are hoping to have. With careful wedding planning, you can save a small fortune!When you are planning your wedding , there is a way to sati...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Living In Love : Remembering Why You Married
The kids are yelling, the dog is barking, and you just found out that your spouse forgot to do the one thing th...(related: Marriage Wedding)
11 Things To Remember In Planning Your Wedding
Every woman dreams of her own wedding. May it be a small gathering in a picturesque orchard, a grand ball in a gigantic castle or a funky wedding along the coastline, she wants it planned and tailored to her wishes. Planning your wedding would take time, effort and energy but it's worth it. For brides out there, here are some things you can't forget to look into.1. PaymentsOf course, planning your wedding will need sufficient amount of cash. Establish who pays for what. This is usually worked out between the couple and their famili...(related: Marriage Wedding)
3 Emerging Trends In Custom Invitations
There is an overwhelming demand for high quality, custom stationery that really reflects the bridal couple's style, personality, and wedding. It doesn't stop at the wedding invitation set anymore! It seems every modern bridal couple is opting to have their entire stationery ensemble done by a custom invitation house. As weddings become more sophisticated, the need for chic stationery quickly evolves into a necessity.Here's what I mean: We'll often start at the engagement party invitations stage and later carry the style variations onto the Save-The-Date cards stage. Next, we do the bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, wedding invitations, ceremony programs, place cards and finally the 'thank you cards'. Couples carry the consistency in design by inserting &...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Wedding Jewelry Tips Tricks And Helpful Hints
So your not one of those fabulous actresses or models who has the luxury of the finest gems and diamonds being loaned to them by the likes of Harry Wintson. No matter, you can add a little sparkle and look extra-ordinaire in your gown on your wedding day. Here's some helpful tips on how to shine on your most important day!Faking It is Fine! It doesn't matter if you cannot afford to adorn...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Planning Your Outdoor Wedding Reception
An outdoor wedding reception can be host to an almost unlimited number of guests and has the aura of nature that can never be duplicated in an indoor ballroom. Some of the following outdoor wedding reception ideas should help to get you started with planning this special day, including avoiding some of the dangers involved with an outdoor setting.One of the great advantages of outdoor ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
The Bigger The Carat The Better The Wedding?
Ahh . . . sweet romance.The flowers. The chocolate. The late night whispers of "I love you."For most people in love, the culmination of months of togetherness and special friendship comes down to one single moment: The marriage proposal - - featuring a simple, but elegant, diamond engagement ring.Of course, if you're a celebrity, a simple ring may not have enough wattage to suit your tastes. Thus, we see many celebri...(related: Marriage Wedding)
6 Ways To Save Money On Wedding Invitations
Inviting your possible guests on your wedding day can be costly. You have to give them traditional wedding cards to inform them of the date and venue, and possibly those cards are made of elegant or high quality papers and other materials that might cost a lot. If your goal is to save money, then you should think of cost ? effective alternatives to send out cards to your guests. Here are some tips.1. Make a list of possible guests first. Invite only your closest friends and relatives so you'l...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Wedding Planning: Involve Your Fiancé In 10 Easy Steps
He's popped the question. You've chosen a date. And now, you're swimming in a sea of euphoria with no horizons. Good thing, too, because there are...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Irreversible
My husband had two affairs last year. I am pretty confident he is not cheating now, and we are seeing a marriage counselor. He has changed much since I found out what he was doing. He put our property in my name and bought me a $12,000 diamond ring.He is affectionate to me most of the time. I believe this is proof that he loves me. The problem is I also have proof that he does not love me because he had affairs. So I have proof he loves me ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Have A Simple, Small, Green Wedding
A wedding is one of life's major rites of passage. It is certainly something to celebrate! Today, wedding books and magazines promote large weddings so that more and more wedding products can be sold. Wedding expenditures run into many thousands of dollars. And after this ...(related: Marriage Wedding)
Wedding Anniversary Signature Frame ? The Perfect Anniversary Gift!
So you're having a wedding anniversary. Congratulations! It's quite a remarkable achievement in this day and age and whether you're celebrating a 10th, 25th, or 50yr anniversa...(related: Marriage Wedding)
site-map - Copyright © 2007 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved | Free Articles and Information | Marriage Wedding