Instead of hiring a complete band of pipers, get one to play at certain points during the wedding -- maybe outside the ceremony as people enter and leave. Is It Ever Okay to Uninvite a Wedding Guest? In Scotland it is known as the ‘Warsel’. Also, don't forget that one way to celebrate your love of all things Irish is to honeymoon in Ireland -- it's gorgeous, and oh-so-romantic. Here are a few of the Irish wedding traditions that have made their way over from the old country and into Irish American wedding celebrations. The word for honey is "meala" in Irish. The ritual involves wrapping the hands of the bride and groom in ribbon, sometimes a keepsake will be used along with the ribbons. It's traditions like bagpipes, kilts, and Claddagh rings that keep Irish eyes smiling during the wedding festivities. Cheapest Times to get Married – Months and Days, Social Media is Pressuring Couples into Having Bigger Weddings, 8 Small Memorable Wedding Ideas – Fun and Personal Suggestions, Alternative Wedding Ideas for Alternative Couples, Having an Irish Vow Renewal Ceremony from Abroad, Valentine’s Day – Fun Stuff to do with your Significant Other, The Dos and Don’ts of Eloping – Wedding Ceremonies, Bohemian Wedding Theme – Ideas, Advice, and Inspiration, Your Wedding Planning Timeline: One Week Before the Wedding, Spring Wedding Trends – From Flowers to Personalisation, Romantic Ways to Celebrate your Wedding Anniversary, Festival Themed Wedding – Ideas, Advice and Inspiration, DIY Wedding Decorations – Save Money and Add Some Character, Love Stories: Karl and Mairead’s Love Filled Wedding, Your Wedding Planning Timeline: One Month Before the Wedding, In Ireland, this was the oldest type of wedding ceremony. Wedding guests were given small stones to cast into the water while making a wish for the couple’s future happiness. Many Handfastings were celebrated at the Teltown games in Meath on the festival of Lughnasa.

Not only do they sound good, they look good too. The ring is faced out prior to the wedding and reversed to face inwards after the wedding, indicating that the bearer is taken forever! So it’s not unusual for them be asked at a wedding to pipe for the mass or at dinner. In ceremonies of old in Ireland, often the congregation were given smalls bells to ring during the marriage rites. Here's Our Take. Even Kate and William included a Handfasting as part of their royal wedding ceremony in 2011. Since Ireland first became a Hollywood movie location in ‘The Quiet Man’ we have had a particular kind of visitor known as The Screen Tourist coming to our shores. The Real Meaning and Purpose. Since Irish men were known for getting cold feet on their wedding days, once the bride and groom were in the church, the guests would lock the door to keep the groom inside to make sure he went through with the ceremony. It is now worn by courting couples to denote their commitment or worn facing outward by single people to show availability.

Some have died out in recent years while others have stood the test of time and have evolved and changed over the years. Irish families often have family members who are in pipe bands. Ever frugal and forward …