Many couples are choosing to enjoy weddings that follow the traditions of a specific culture and one that is growing in popularity is the wedding filled with Irish tradition.  If you are interested in having a wedding that is drawn from the Irish heritage, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Picking Your Wedding Day

There are a couple of Irish sayings when it comes to picking the perfect day.  One being “Marry in May and rue the day” and the other saying “Marry in April if you can, joy for maiden and for man.”  Nonetheless, there are several major Celtic festivals that fall on certain days and are popular choices for Irish weddings.  Beltane, for example, usually occurs around the first of May.  Lughnassadh, on the other hand, is celebrated in early August if you are interested in a summer wedding.  Other options are Samhain, which falls on November 1, or Imbolc on February 1.

Making it Lucky

You certainly can’t discuss an Irish wedding without discussing good luck charms!  There are many traditional good luck items that the bride can carry on her big day.  One tradition involves carrying a horseshoe.  In fact, many modern day Irish brides carry an attractive porcelain horseshoe during their wedding ceremonies.  If you don’t want to carry an actual horseshoe, however, you can have a fabric version tied to your wrist or to simply hang it over the door at your venue – just make sure the horseshoe is turned upward like the letter U.

Another traditional item carried by Irish brides is special handkerchief.  After the wedding, the handkerchief can be turned into a christening bonnet for your baby and then turned back into a handkerchief for your child’s wedding day.

Choosing the Right Food and Drink

When it comes time to toast the bride and groom at the reception, you might want to consider serving Bunratty Meade.  This honey-flavored wine is one of the oldest drinks in Ireland and is served at the Bunratty Castle medieval banquet.  Irish soda bread and corned beef and cabbage are good food items to include on your menu and, when it comes to your wedding cake, make the top layer Irish whiskey cake.

Picking the Rings

If you really want to go all out with the Irish theme, you might also want to consider exchanging the Claddagh Ring.  The Claddagh ring, which features hands holding a heart and a crown, has been in Ireland since the 1600s.  According to tradition, a woman is to wear the ring with the crown pointing in while she is single and then changes it so the crown is pointing out when she is spoken for.