Irish Wedding Rings
I’m sure there are more than just Irish Eyes smiling at an Irish wedding. This series has emphasized how popular it has become for couples to draw on their cultural and ethnic backgrounds and to include them in their weddings. Ireland is no exception. The rich Irish heritage offers elements that add color and flavor, making an Irish wedding a truly special event.
There are a variety of Irish elements that can be easily incorporated into a wedding. One obvious element is to get married on St. Patrick’s Day. Building your theme around the color green (after Ireland’s nickname Emerald Isle), can be a simple yet elegant choice. Symbolism can even be as basic as decorating the wedding invitations with Celtic knots. Perhaps the best-known symbol of Ireland is the shamrock. The color green and shamrock together can be used to design spectacular centerpieces and decorations and can even carry over to the wedding party flowers. The fragrant Bells of Ireland, may also be used as part of the theme, as they too, are green. English lavender, an ancient symbol of love, loyalty, devotion and even luck is often mixed with the bride’s wedding flowers to help insure a happy and long-lasting marriage. Of course, it’s totally at the couple’s discretion what and how many Irish traditions to use. The options are really endless.
Moving on to the ceremony itself, an old Irish tradition calls for the wedding couple to walk to the church together before exchanging their vows. As they walk down the main street to the church, onlookers throw rice to bless the marriage. Sometimes they even throw larger items, such as pots and pans.
Historically an Irish bride wears a blue wedding dress. In ancient Irish tradition, blue symbolized purity. Only more recently has the white wedding dress become a symbol of virginity and purity. Another tradition is for the bride to braid her hair for her wedding day. Braided hair is an ancient symbol of feminine power and luck. A groom, with a comfortable sense of self-confidence, might even consider wearing a kilt and asking his groomsmen to do likewise. Kilts, represent a particular family and bring both culture and very personal family heritage to the event.
Traditionally an Irish bride wears a Claddagh ring as her wedding ring. This ring has become a very popular symbol of a person’s romantic status and continues to be a fashionable choice for an engagement and or wedding ring, for couples all around the world. It is a heart held by two hands with the heart topped by a crown. The heart in the design symbolizes love longed to be shared with one’s true love. The crown symbolizes undying loyalty and the hands symbolize friendship, which is, the foundation of love. The ring’s motto is: “Let love and friendship reign.” If a woman wears a Claddagh Ring on her right hand with the heart facing outward toward the end of her finger this signifies that she is single and looking for love. If the ring is worn on the right hand with the heart facing inward, toward the woman’s knuckle, it signifies that she is engaged. Finally, if a Claddagh Ring is worn on the left hand it means that the woman is married. The Claddagh has truly become an everlasting symbol of love and marriage.
Other ethnic wedding traditions focus on the food. At some traditional Irish weddings distinct Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread, mead, and dark beer will be served. Mead is a wine-like drink that is made from honey, water and yeast. It was thought that mead could improve virility in men and fertility in women, and so held a significant place at weddings. It is suggested that the word honeymoon originated from the ingredient in mead (i.e., the honey). Irish history documents a ritual where the groom captures the bride at her home and brings her to the wedding feast, where large quantities of mead are consumed. Once the festivities were over, the groom would “hide” the bride from her family for a period of a “full moon”, in hopes that the bride might then be pregnant so that the marriage could not be challenged. One could say that the custom started with honey (mead) and ended with the moon.
As with most weddings, the cake is a focal point at an Irish wedding. The theme can be kept by decorating cakes with shamrocks and green icing and even an Irish cream filling. The wedding cake may even be a variation of a fruitcake recipe.
Finally, it’s time to party and we all know the Irish are famous for a good time. Music plays a significant role in creating the mood for the reception. Both old and new favorites are widely available, so whether you have bagpipers, a band or simply a DJ, music with an ethnic flare can truly shape the tone of your event. “The Irish Wedding Song,” a slow waltz-type song, is a great way to kick off the reception. Starting alone on the dance floor, the bride and groom are then joined by their guests. Popular Irish ballads, such as “Black Velvet Band,” and “When Irish Eyes are Smiling,” are great drinking songs that encourage crowd participation.
Whatever Irish traditions you choose, mixing the old with the new is sure to add a special twist to your celebration, that guests will talk about for years to come.
