Irish Wedding Traditions

The Marriage Bell or Make Up Bell

A Celtic Tradition has it that every couple should receive a bell as a wedding gift.  The bell is placed in the newlywed's home.   When a disagreement takes place, one of the couple rings the bell to end the discord and declare a truce without an admission of fault.

The Last Stitch

Making the last stitch on the bride's gown on the wedding day will bring good luck.  This tradition is from Cork.

Bridal Bouquet

To bring good luck to the marriage, tuck a sprig of shamrock into the bouquet.  For the Scottish, a branch of white heather.

Irish Horseshoe

The horseshoe has always been associated with good luck because of the importance the Celts placed on their livestock especially their horses. So a horseshoe should be tucked into the bridal bouquet or sown into wedding gown.  

The Irish Grushie

The tradition of tossing a handful of coins to the wedding guests is thought to bring good luck and prosperity to the groom and his bride.

Irish Wedding Coin

After the blessing of the rings, during the marriage ceremony, the groom presents his bride with a silver coin and says "I give you this as a token of all I possess" The coin symbolizes his willingness to share all that he has with his bride in the future.  The coin is kept as a family heirloom and is passed down from mother to her eldest son on his wedding day. 

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe.

Blue is considered a luck color in Ireland, something borrowed is a symbol of friendship and the brides handkerchief is usually something new for good luck.  Something old is the connection to family and the sixpence is so you will always be financially well off in your marriage.