IRISH WEDDING TRADITIONS
PLANNING A REHEARSAL DINNER?
* Bunratty Meade (available at The Irish Lion) is a honey wine that's served at the Bunratty Castle
medieval banquet. It's from a recipe based on the oldest drink in Ireland
and if you've never tasted it, it's well worth trying. In the old days, it
was consumed at weddings because it was thought that it promoted virility.
(If a baby was born nine months after the wedding, it was attributed to the
mead!) Couples also drank it from special goblets for a full month following
the wedding, which is supposedly where we get the word honeymoon. This was
to protect the couple from the fairies coming to spirit the bride away.
* Lucky horseshoe. Irish brides used to carry a real horseshoe for
good luck. You can get porcelain horseshoes which most Irish brides
carry these days, or one made of fabric which is worn on the wrist.
* Magic Hanky. This charming custom involves having the bride carry a
special hanky that with a few stitches can be turned into a christening
bonnet for the first baby. With a couple of snips it can be turned back into
a hanky that your child can carry on his/her wedding day.
* Make-up bells. The chime of bells is thought to keep evil spirits
away, restore harmony if a couple is fighting, and also remind a couple of
their wedding vows. Giving a bell as a gift has become an Irish tradition.
You could also have your greeters hand out tiny bells to your guests to ring
as you process. (You might want to let them know when they're supposed to be
rung - perhaps mention it in your program along with an explanation of the
custom). Guests could also ring their little bells at the reception in lieu
of clinking glasses.
* Music. There's so much wonderful Irish music available, you'll have
no problems in finding appropriate selections for both the ceremony and the
reception.
* The Irish Wedding Song.
* Flowers. In the old
days, many Irish brides wore a wreath of wildflowers in their hair; they
also carried them in bouquets. For my daughter's wedding, our florist
designed gorgeous bouquets that included a flower called Bells of Ireland.
In Wales, brides carried live myrtle and gave a sprig to each bridesmaid
which they planted. If it grew, the bridesmaid would marry within the year.
If you're planning a more general Celtic celebration, this might be worth
considering.
* Ancient custom: In the old days, couples ate salt and oatmeal at
the beginning of their reception: Each of them took three mouthfuls as a
protection against the power of the evil eye. Also, when a couple is
dancing, the bride can't take both feet off the floor because the fairies
will get the upper hand. Fairies love beautiful things and one of their
favorites is a bride. There's many an Irish legend about brides being
spirited away by the little people! For the same reason, it's bad luck for a
bride to wear green. I've also heard that it's bad luck for anyone to wear
green at an Irish wedding - but I think it really only applies to the bride.
It's also bad luck for a bride or the groom to sing at their own wedding.
Portents and omens:
* A fine day meant good luck, especially if the sun shone on the bride.
* It was unlucky to marry on a Saturday.
* Those who married in harvest would spend all their lives gathering
* A man should always be the first to wish joy to the bride, never a woman
*It was lucky to hear a cuckoo on the wedding morning, or to see three
magpies
* To meet a funeral on the road meant bad luck and if there was a funeral
procession planned for that day, the wedding party always took a different
road
* The wedding party should always take the longest road home from the church
* It was bad luck if a glass or cup were broken on the wedding day
*A bride and groom should never wash their hands in the same sink at the
same time—it's courting disaster if they do
* It was said to be lucky if you married during a 'growing moon and a
flowing tide'
* When leaving the church, someone must throw an old shoe over the bride's
head so she will have good luck
* If the bride's mother-in-law breaks a piece of wedding cake on the bride's
head as she enters the house after the ceremony, they will be friends for
life.
The top tier of your wedding cake should be an Irish whiskey cake which is
saved for the christening of your first baby. A bottle of champagne is saved
from the reception so that it can be used to 'wet the baby's head' at the
christening.
