Ireland is a wonderful little country that even with it’s small size, holds a huge place in many people’s hearts the world over. Whether you are planning a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, are an Irish couple living in Ireland, an Irish couple living abroad, have Irish family connections or simply love Ireland, there are lots of Irish wedding traditions that you can incorporate into your big day. In fact, some of you may even already be incorporating Irish traditions without even knowing their history!
There are tons of ways to have a truly Irish wedding even wherever you are, so without further ado here is our top 10 Irish wedding traditions and customs to bring a little bit of luck o’ the Irish to your big day!
10 Irish Wedding Traditions
1. The Child of Prague
The flamboyantly-dressed statue of the baby Jesus is found in almost every Irish household, and holds our meteorological fate in his tiny plaster-cast hands. Burying The Child of Prague statue is said to bring good weather on your wedding day. Bonus points if the The Child of Prague is headless, but it has to have broken accidently!
Read more about this tradition here.
2. The Horseshoe
The horseshoe is a lucky symbol associated with Irish weddings. In the past a real horseshoe was carried by the bride as she walked down the aisle. It was then hung up by the groom in the couple’s new home over a door or in a room to keep the ‘luck of the house’ intact.
Today, instead of carrying a big ole hefty lump of metal around many Irish brides’ carry a small horseshoe in their bouquet or as a charm on a bracelet presented by the flowergirl or pageboy. Remember the horseshoe should always be pointing up so that the good luck does not run out!
3. The Claddagh Ring
First produced in the 17th century, the claddagh ring design is linked back to the fishing village of Claddagh near Galway and is a symbol of love, friendship and loyalty. If single, you wear the ring on your right hand with the point of the heart facing the fingertip. When in a relationship, the ring is flipped around so that the point faces the wrist, symbolising that you heart has been taken, when engaged, the ring is moved over to your left hand, with the point of the heart facing the fingertips.
The ring is then flipped around at the wedding. Many grooms choose a claddagh as their wedding band, the perfect way to embrace some Irish heritage.
4. Something Blue
Traditionally in Ireland, brides wore blue dresses, as it was seen as the color of true love and purity. However, over time this tradition faded and the more familiar white dress became popular. The “something blue” was then incorporated into the brides’ accessories such as on a garter, ribbon on a bouquet or a piece of fabric sewn into the underneath of the dress.
We have plenty of options to shop in this post on blue wedding shoes here and cute ideas for your something blue here.
5. A Lucky Handkerchief
An Irish linen handkerchief was carried by the bride throughout the day to symbolise fertility. It was then kept for the birth of the couple’s first child, when the handkerchief would then be used as part of the christening dress or bonnet. The hanky would then be passed on from generation to generation to be re-used in a similar manner.
6. A Wild Irish Bouquet
Many Irish brides traditionally carried wildflowers and or wore a wildflower crown in their hair in lieu of a veil. A beautiful and sustainable way to incorporate a traditional Irish custom into a modern wedding.
7. Tie the Knot
The saying “Tying the Knot” comes from the old Celtic tradition of hand binding (also known as hand fasting) during a wedding ceremony. It originates from celtic times when it involved tying the hands of the betrothed together with ribbon or a crios as a symbol of their agreement to spend their lives together. Today you can find a traditional Irish Crios from Celtic Crios Weaver or indeed use any two (or more) materials that have sentimental meaning.
Read more about how to do a handfasting ritual here.
8. Ring the Bells
The ringing of church bells was said to ward of evil spirits from the newlyweds. In penal times in Ireland this was not possible so the gift of a small bell acted as a substitute. Today, many Irish weddings often have stationery, invitations and decorations adorned with bells to incorporate the tradition. For a modern spin on a truly Irish custom you could hand out little bells as a wedding confetti alternative. Just imagine the chimes of tiny tinkling bells to ring in the newlyweds!
Read more on how to do a bell ringing ceremony here.
9. The Wedding Toast – Sláinte!
No Irish wedding would be complete without a traditional toast to the happy couple. Today we toast with fine champagne, but it wasn’t always that glamorous. In times of old wedding toasts would consist of either Poteen (a strong whiskey made from potatoes) or Mead (white wine mixed with honey and herbs).
10 The Irish Blessing
As Ireland is known as the Island of Saints and Scholars, we are truly spoiled when it comes to our choice of traditional Irish wedding toasts (both in English and in Irish), blessings, readings and vows. Why not incorporate a traditional Irish blessings or poem in your ceremony or speeches? We also have a list of ceremony readings by famous Irish writers here.
Looking for more ways to celebrate your Irishness? Check out our list of Traditional Irish Wedding Blessings, Toasts, Readings and Vows. Be sure to sign up to the One Fab Day newsletter!
