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Irish Wedding theme
It was the luck of the Irish the day you found each other, and you want to
celebrate your Irish heritage, or your fondness for St. Patrick’s Day, with an
Irish theme wedding. You can bring a bit of the auld sod to your special event
with some careful planning and a cautious eye for those mischievous leprechauns!
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One of the true symbols of love from Ireland is the Claddagh. The story says
that a man left his home in Galway to set sail to the West Indies for work. He
promised his love he would return to marry her. His ship was captured and he was
forced into slavery. When King William III demanded the release of all British
slaves, the master of this particular man offered him his daughter and half of
his fortune if he would stay and continue his work as a goldsmith because his
work was so brilliant. The man declined, and returned to his love as he
promised. Upon his return, he presented her with a ring of his own design – the
Claddagh. The ring features a heart, held by two hands, topped with a crown, and
is supposed to symbolize love, loyalty and friendship. This is the perfect
romantic centerpiece to any Irish wedding, and you will find the Claddagh in
many aspects of wedding accessories. There are Claddagh wedding invitations,
which feature the symbol in gold, silver, or green; and most places that carry
the invitations will also be able to deliver various other reception goods with
the symbol on them. Cake toppers are also available in metal, crystal, and
plastic Claddagh symbols, and you will find champagne glasses that have it
etched into them or have a pewter Claddagh affixed to the side.
Traditionally, Irish brides carried herbs and spices or wore them in their hair
to ward off evil spirits. To continue the tradition, add some English lavender
or a sprig of rosemary to your bouquets, or have a wreath made for your hair
using fragrant herbs. You could choose to commemorate your Irish heritage by
using Bells of Ireland in your bouquet, and they work well with a green and
white arrangement. Most Irish brides wore braided hair on their wedding day, and
you can certainly add sprigs of herbs entwined with the braided hair. Some Irish
brides carried myrtle, and a piece of the myrtle was given to each bridesmaid.
The bridesmaids were to take their myrtle home and plant it, and if it grew, it
meant a wedding for them as well. It would be a nice idea to have the
bridesmaids carry myrtle down the aisle to reflect this tradition. Something
else Irish brides even today carry with their bouquets are horseshoes. The
horseshoe must be carried with the open side facing up so the luck doesn’t spill
out. The horseshoe is something brides keep to give to their children to use on
their wedding day, and some are elaborately decorated with satin, ribbons, and
lace.
Many Irish brides wore blue dresses on their wedding day, which was the ancient
color meaning purity. If you want to go with a more traditional white, you could
have some blue embroidered onto your gown, or add a blue garter, a blue satin
sash, or tie your bouquet with blue ribbon. You could also put your bridesmaids
in blue. And no Irish bride walks down the aisle without a lucky sixpence in her
shoe. If you cannot get your hand on a sixpence, a penny works just as well, and
should be taped into the shoe so it does not interfere with your feet during the
wedding.
The perfect favors for your guests at your Irish wedding are small bells. The
make-up bell in Ireland was used to ward off evil, restore harmony in the home
when a couple has been arguing, and remind a couple of their wedding vows. Tie
lovely satin bows on silver bells engraved with your initials and your wedding
date, and your guests can even be encouraged to ring them throughout the
reception, forcing the bride and groom to share a quick kiss. Another long
lasting favor is a small pot of Irish shamrocks, and you can tie a personalized
ribbon around each pot with your names and wedding date.
Other things to incorporate into your Irish wedding would be a piper, perhaps
playing for your guests as they enter your wedding; a traditional fruit cake for
a wedding cake; and instead of champagne, a toast with honey wine or Irish mead,
which was thought to promote virility. And for traditional Irish fun at the
reception, host a ceilidh by bringing in dancers to teach your guests the
traditional dances.
Your Irish wedding should be fun, family oriented, and most of all, speak from
your heart. Your love for each other and your love for all things Irish should
be present the whole day long.
Irish
Wedding Customs
Wedding and
Marriage
The sacrament of matrimony is a
solemn observance in the Christian Church. It is an outward sign that faithful
worshipers are receiving the grace of God in their lives together.
Historic Wedding
Events:
Jesus preformed his first miracle
at the wedding feast of Cana.
Many wedding customs have been
popular since ancient times:
The Bridal
Veil.
Bridal veils became popular in
Great Britain and America during the late 18th century. In Rome, brides probably
wore veils over 2,000 years ago.
The Wedding
Ring.
The
custom of giving a wedding ring may also date back to the ancient Romans. The
presentation of wedding rings symbolizes that the man and woman are united
forever. The shape of the ring probably represents eternity. The wearing of the
ring on the ring finger of the left hand is another old custom. This originated
because people once thought that a vein or nerve ran directly from the finger to
the heart.
The Throwing
Of Rice.
After many weddings, the
guests throw rice at the bride and groom as a wish for children and good
fortune. Rice was once the symbol of fertility, happiness and long life.
Tossing the
Bouquet.
The custom of the bride
tossing the bouquet to the unmarried guests dates from the 14th century and
probably originated in France. The woman who catches the flowers is supposedly
the next to marry. The same is supposedly true when the bride tosses the garter
to the unmarried men.
Superstitions:
An old
superstition says that a bride can ensure good luck by wearing 'something old,
something new, something borrowed, something blue'. Another old superstition
says that it is bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the
ceremony on their wedding day.
The Claddagh
Ring
This ring belongs
to as broad group of finger rings, called 'Faith Rings' or Fede. It is a
particularly distinctive ring in Ireland, with two hands clasping a heart,
surmounted by a crown. The origin of Faith Rings could date from Roman times.
The motif of the Claddagh ring has been explained in the phrase or posy:
'Let love and
friendship reign'. The hand signifies faith, the heart signifies love and the
crown signifies honor, loyalty. Although it was worn as a wedding ring, it was
also worn as a symbol of friendship. The limits defined over which the ring was
worn was roughly from the Aran Islands and throughout all of Connemara, eastward
and southward for about twelve mile. It probably became known as the Claddagh
ring because the people of this area used this ring alone. When the Claddagh
ring is worn on the right hand with the heart nearest the finger nail, it
indicates that the wearer in single and unattached. When worn the same way on
the left hand, indicates that although the person is still single their heart
belongs to another. When the ring was worn with the crown nearest the finger
nail on the left hand, the wearer was married.
Tradition tells
us that the Claddagh ring was passed from mother to first daughter. For some of
the Claddagh fisher folk the purchase of this ring was often the largest
investment they would make. (Claddagh Ring Story. Joyce, C. 1990, pp 1, 2, 6,7)
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