A growing number of couples are choosing to have weddings that follow the traditions of other cultures.  This is particularly true for those who are of Irish decent or who are simply fascinated by Irish traditions.  If you are planning to have an Irish wedding, you might want to keep these traditions in mind when doing the planning.

Decorations and Music

Decorations are an important part of any wedding and there are many types of decorations that go hand in hand with Irish weddings.  For example, the tradition of “Decorating the Path” dates back to 19th century Ireland and involves decorating a path leading from the bride’s home to the church.  These decorations may include evergreen boughs, floral garlands, torches and lanterns.  Obviously, you won’t create a solid path from the bride’s home to the church, but you can place decorations on sporadic signposts and trees along the way.  You may also want to consider decorating the path with Celtic symbols such as Claddaghs, tricolor flags and shamrocks.

Of course, no wedding reception would be complete without flowers.  If you are looking to create the Irish feel, choose flowers that are native to Ireland for your reception.  Some lowers you may want to consider include…

•  Bells of Ireland
•  Burnet Roses
•  Daisies
•  Ferns
•  Foxgolve
•  Hydrangeas
•  Irish Orchids
•  Ivy
•  Primrose
•  Violets

You can top of the Irish decorations with Irish music as well.  You don’t have to stick with traditional Irish music.  Bands and artists such as U2 and Enya can also be great additions to your wedding celebration.

Drinking and Eating to Tradition

Of course, no Irish wedding would be complete without Irish food and drink.  Some Irish foods you might want to consider offering at your reception include:

•  Boxty
•  Coddle
•  Colcannon
•  Irish Stew
•  Soda Bread

There are many drinks you should consider offering at your Irish reception as well.  Some of these include:

• Guinness
• Irish Dog (cocktail)
• Irish Highball (cocktail)
• Irish Lady (cocktail)
• Irish Lady Champagne Punch
• Irish Seaman (cocktail)
• Irish Spring (cocktail)
• Irish Whiskey

Even your wedding cake can carry on Irish tradition.  If you want to be truly Irish with your cake, fruitcake is the type of cake that is traditionally served.  If you don’t like the idea of having fruitcake at your wedding, however, you can still decorate your cake with an Irish flair.  Decorative items such as shamrocks, harps, swans or the Claddagh can all be excellent additions.