Sourcebook for Irish Weddings

Ideas and resources for your Irish wedding.

To Browse

• The Book of Kells, "the world's most beautiful book."
• The Tara Brooch, a model of aristocratic jewelry with a martial touch.
• The Brian Boru harp, Ireland's national symbol from the 14th century.

To Read

• Love Poems by William Butler Yeats.
• Love Poems by Thomas Moore.

To Hear

• Harp music played by Menya Wolfe, for listening online
• Turlough O'Carolan, famous 18th century Irish composer:
     Celtic Treasure: The Legacy of Turlough O'Carolan
     The Faerie Isles - Celtic Harp Music
     Carolan's Receipt, Music of Carolan, Volume 1
• Sinead O'Connor
     Sean-Nos Nua ("songs in the Old Style")
     Universal Mother
• Irish Wedding Compilations
     The Vow: An Irish Wedding Celebration
     Haste to the Wedding

For Stationary

• Free Celtic Fonts from Ireland-Information
• 1 Celtic Font with diacriticals (marks) from Yamada Language Center

• HistoryImages.com Irish Clip Art
• Currier&Ives Irish Clip Art

Superstitions, Customs and Celebrations

• Check out this long and informative article covering Irish wedding traditions and superstitions, taken from Bridget Haggerty's excellent Irish wedding book.
  
• Do you know how to wear your claddagh ring? Wear it on the left hand, heart facing in toward the wrist if you're spoken for. If single, wear it on the right hand, heart facing out toward the fingertips.
• What is the Claddagh? A symbol of Love (heart), Friendship (hands) and Loyalty (the crown). The claddagh ring is an old-style fede, or faith ring, a type that was popular in the Middle Ages. It came from an old fishing village near Galway, but its origins are otherwise lost to conjecture.
  
• Gold jewelry was of utmost importance to Irish brides and bridegrooms. Without a gold ring, the marriage would not stay fast. Sometimes gold rings were rented for the ceremony, when budgets did not permit more.

Claddagh Wedding Rings from Ireland

• Many customs and rituals we now associate with Wicca were very much Irish. The handfasting ceremony is a Celtic tradition. The couple could "wed" for only a year, or for life if they chose.
  
• A Celtic wedding would also celebrate the Celtic seasonal festivals: Beltaine, Imbolc, Samhaine. Learn how to honor these ancient observances in your Irish wedding.
• Celtic Christians would cast a Caim for protection, most especially during their weddings. If you see a strong hint of paganism that just won't die in these Celtic-Christian practices, you're not alone. If you find it suggestive that Bridgid was both the ancient Celts' most important goddess and the modern Irish's most important female saint, you're not alone.
• Planning your program? Start here for the Irish Wedding Blessing and a handful of old Irish/Celtic vows. Then move on for this excellent collection of Irish blessings and Caim prayers.
• Horseshoes and silver bells play an important role in Irish weddings.
• Creyr, the Heron, is an ancient Celtic symbol of unity. Herons were known to mate for life - and it was the heron that brought babies to welcoming parents!
• Another lovely Irish tradition: at her wedding, a bride carries a handkerchief (of Irish linen and lace, of course). With a few deft stiches, the handkerchief is then converted to a bonnet for her baby's christening.

Irish handkerchief

Claddagh Wedding Bible

 

Irish Wedding Favors & Accessories

Flora & Fauna

• Growing shamrocks from seed
• Growing 'Bells of Ireland'
• Growing Irish Orchids

Irish Apparel

• History of Upper-Class Irish Apparel: Torques (necklaces) and Minns (tiaras)
• Irish brides preferred blue dresses for many years, but now having 'modernized,' usually wear white. Irish taste runs to the simple and classic. Brides will often include some 'telling' embroidery or ornament, such as Celtic knots, or harps, shamrocks or family crests embroidered in white. Tiaras are an increasingly important reference to the old Faerie Queens and the aristocracy's minns. The Irish bride might wear a light cape or cloak over her gown. [Examples of Irish Wedding Cloaks]

Food and Drink

The traditional Irish wedding cake is very unlike the modern American cake; it's more like a fruit cake, up to and including the several months of ripening. However, a gifted baker can bring the two together. Check here for a fab example.