Scottish Wedding Traditions
A Scottish wedding is a historic and beautiful ceremony that dates back as far as the thirteenth century. And in fact, many of the historical Scottish wedding traditions are used in modern western weddings today. This includes the first kiss, the first dance, the exchange of rings and the carrying of the bride over the threshold, which were all traditional Scottish weddings customs.
In the old days, the Medieval church would announce each wedding in church for three successive Sundays. This was referred to as the banns of marriage. This practice lasted for 600 years. This gave way to the simple announcement of intent to get married and the obtaining of a marriage license.
Another ancient Scottish wedding custom is called creeling the bridegroom, a tradition which many grooms are pleased not to perform today. The tradition requires that the groom to carry a large basket filled with stones on his back. He was supposed to carry the basket from one end of his village to the next until his bride-to-be came out of the house and kissed him.
On the day of the ceremony, the bride would wear a traditional Scottish wedding gown. The Scottish wedding dress for men is Celtic belted plaid made of a piece of tartan cloth four yards long and two yards wide folded around the waits and held in place by a belt. This is very similar to the 17th century Scottish wedding apparel. This has not changed much through the years. The traditional Scottish wedding dresses for women are white or off white. At a traditional Scottish wedding, you would the 1600s Scottish wedding dress adorned with a Luckenbooth, which was a type of brooch exchanged between the couple.
There would be a procession to the church and almost all of the people in the surrounding area would attend. When the procession reached the church, the ceremony would be done outside of the church in Gaelic and a second ceremony would take place inside the church in Latin. At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom would exchange Scottish wedding bands. The circular ring, with no beginning and no end, was a symbol of their never-ending love. The Scottish wedding rings, which are still popular today, were a gold band or a Celtic knot work designed engagement and wedding ring.
After the exchange of rings, the couple would kiss in front of all of their assembled guests. Following the ceremony, the entire wedding party would be piped to a relative’s home for a reception, where the bride and groom participate in a first dance. If a couple would want an elaborate wedding reception, they can hold it at the Humphrey Scottish center for wedding parties. After the reception, the groom would take the wife home and carry her over the threshold. There are many Scottish wedding traditions such as the bride putting a sixpence in her shoe on the morning of the wedding for good luck
The perfect wedding gift is a poem, known as a Scottish wedding blessing, on a wooden plaque. This will be treasured as much as a verbal blessing, which is often said at the wedding. Scottish wedding customs are easy to incorporate and can help to make your day special and wonderful. Whether inside Scotland or outside Scotland, you can make you wedding just like a true Scotland wedding.