Irish Wedding Traditions

Irish wedding takes place in church and follow a very traditional pattern. The wedding couple walks to the church together before exchanging their wedding vows. As they walk down the main street to the chapel, the onlookers would throw rice to bless the marriage and also larger items such as pots and pans. An Irish bride's wedding ring is called Claddagh ring which is a heart held by two hands with the heart topped by a crown. The hands represent faith, the crown signifies honor and the heart signifies love.

The traditional Irish bride often wears a blue wedding dress rather than a white wedding dress. This is because blue symbolized purity in ancient times. It was only after 1499 that a white dress symbolized virginity and purity.

English lavender, which is an ancient symbol of love, devotion, loyalty and good luck, is often mixed with the bride's wedding flowers to ensure a happy and long lasting union.

Another Irish ritual for the bride is to braid her hair for her wedding day. Braided hair is an ancient symbol of feminine power and good luck. Another symbol of luck is to be married on the St. Patrick's Day, which is considered to be the luckiest wedding anniversary date in Ireland.

The Irish translation for honeymoon means the month of honey. Thus it was an Irish custom to spend a month together secluded from the family members.

Travour.com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of Ireland and around the world.

Here are some Wedding Traditions performed around the world