Worldwide Weddings: Welcome to Ireland!

Happy Monday, readers! This week – actually this will probably run throughout the summer – I thought it would be fun to take a trip around the world. An actual, physical, hop-on-a-plane-and-see-the-sights trip would be be my dream come true, but reading up on different locations and their traditions will do just fine for now. We're going to be exploring different wedding traditions from around the world, starting in western Europe and working our way east! I'm quite jazzed to be writing these pieces – weddings; travel; what's not to love?! First stop: Ireland!

 

 

What better place to kick off our journey than the Emerald Isle? Mystical and gorgeous with an Old World feel, this place has romance written all over it. Wedding traditions in Ireland carry this same air of romanticism and are deeply rooted in Irish culture.

 

 

One uniquely Irish feature that has become a bit of a fashion trend is actually the ring. The Claddagh Ring is a prominent wedding tradition for the Irish and has a pretty interesting back story that is centuries old. There are several different accounts as to how the ring came to be – the most widely believed tale includes pirates, capture and wealth – but more people are collectively in agreement as to its symbolism. The Claddagh Ring features two hands clasping a heart adorned with a crown. The hands represent friendship, the heart denotes love, and crown reflects loyalty (Claddagh Ring History and Meaning). The ring reflects single status when worn on the right hand with the point of the heart facing toward the fingertip. Ladies in relationships flip the ring around, but keep it on their right hands. When engaged, the ring is moved to the left hand with the tip of the heart facing outwards. Finally, the ring is flipped with heart facing inwards once the woman is married. It is customary for mothers to pass these rings down to their daughters (O'Gorman Klein). Mom mom gave me mine!

 

 

Handfasting is another interesting Irish wedding custom. An old Celtic tradition, the bride and groom lock hands (left in left, and right in right) with their wrists crossed, and are tied together to symbolize their union as husband and wife. With this tradition, the Irish quite literally “tie the knot!” (O'Gorman Klein).

 

 

Style is always good for tradition, and the Irish have quite a few style-related customs. Braids are incorporated into the bridal hairstyle, not only because they're fantastic, but because they speak to the bride's feminine power and the luck of the couple. How cool is that? Ribbons, flowers and lace are also commonly woven into the bride's locks on the Big Day, adding to the mystical romance of these weddings and the Irish culture. But they don't stop with the hair – of course there is custom related to the dress! The traditional Irish wedding gowns weren't white, or even green (which is the color most commonly associated with Ireland), but blue, which was an ancient symbol of purity (Green Wedding Shoes). 

 

 

The last Irish custom I'll cover (there are tons more) is the “mi na maela.” Translated to mean “the month of honey,” this is the Gaelic honeymoon. A tradition that is a bit dated now, Irish couples would spend the month following their wedding alone together drinking mead, which is a wine made from honey. “The sweet wine is said to boost virility and fertility — babies born nine months after the wedding were attributed to the mead (O'Gorman Klein)!”

 

Harps, bagpipes, kilts and many other celtic customs are incorporated in Irish weddings as well, along with a number of other cultural traditions. If you're looking for a way to incorporate your heritage into your Big Day, and you're “lucky enough to be Irish,” consider weaving in some of these traditions. And if you're looking for an unbelievable destination location, Ireland is good for that as well!

 

                                                                 

Sláinte!

 

 

 

1. O'Gorman Klein, Kristen. "Irish Wedding Traditions." Bridal Guide. Retrieved from http://www.bridalguide.com/blogs/bridal-buzz/irish-wedding-traditions. 

2. "A Mythical Tune: Irish Wedding Traditions." Green Wedding Shoes. Retrieved from http://greenweddingshoes.com/a-mythical-tune-irish-wedding-traditions/

3. "Claddagh Ring History and Meaning." Retrieved from http://www.claddagh.kaijewels.com/claddagh-history.htm