This is the perfect Irish wedding garter, adorned with a sweet kelly green shamrock! Available in white or ivory with gorgeous love knot lace. The matching toss has no lace ruffle.
Incorporating Irish traditions on your wedding day is a beautiful way for the bride and/or groom to celebrate their Irish heritage. There are so many Irish wedding traditions to choose from that the bride and groom can find meaningful ways to integrate them no matter what their wedding style.
In Ireland, folklore has it that the luckiest time of year to get married is New Year's Eve, a chance to say goodbye to life as a single person while welcoming in a brand new year and your new life together. As the old saying goes, "when December's showers fall fast, marry and true love will last." On their wedding day it is traditional for the bride and groom to walk together to the church, symbolizing equality in ancient Ireland that was at the heart of the wedding ceremony. Grooms often referred to their wife as 'co-lord' and women often kept their family surname.
In ancient Ireland the bride simply wore her very best dress, or she and her relatives would make a blue wedding dress, which was the traditional color in Ireland. More recently, Irish brides wear white dresses adorned with traditional lace.
The Irish wedding ceremony is rich in tradition, including the use of a unity candle. This consists of a large pillar candle accompanied by two taper candles, which the bride and groom use to light the pillar candle together. This symbolizes the sacred union between the couple.
Another Irish wedding tradition is the use of the claddagh ring. The claddagh ring features two hands clasped around a heart adorned with a crown. The fourth finger of the left hand with the point of the heart worn inwards symbolizes that the wearer's heart is taken. A groom may say "With these hands I give you my heart, and crown it with my love", and use the Claddaugh ring as the wedding ring. He may wear one as well.
Handfasting is another Irish wedding tradition with Celtic origins. Handfasting involves the officiant tying together the hands of the bride and groom as they recite their vows, usually with a piece of ribbon. Once the couple have recited their vows, the officiant removes the tie, symbolizing that the couple are forever bound together in their hearts.
The traditional Irish wedding reception consists of a feast of Irish fare. Irish music (the playing of the harp, fiddle and bodhran) and of course traditional Irish dancing. Irish wedding toasts are also a key part of the traditional Irish wedding. Some popular Irish wedding toasts include 'May your troubles be as few and as far apart as my grandmother's teeth' and 'May your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.'
Irish wedding traditions can be used in modern wedding ceremonies by couples of all ages. Irish wedding traditions are used by both Irish and non-Irish couples as they celebrate one of the happiest days of their lives. Traditions make for meaningful memories!
Read More >>
