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 Celtic Wedding Traditions
May Joy and Peace surround you,
Contentment latch your door,
And Happiness be with you now,
And bless you evermore.
May your troubles be less,
And your blessings be more
And nothing but happiness
come through your door.
Traditional Irish Blessing
Perhaps it is the wild, passionate nature of the Irish that makes the idea of a Celtic ceremony so appealing. With the same fervor that they took to battle, the Celts took to love and marriage. And, of course, it is no secret that the deep spirituality of pre-Christian Ireland continues to infuse the religious beliefs of contemporary Christians. Indeed, Celtic Spirituality is one of the most important areas of religious study today.
If we just list some of the most important features of Celtic Tradition, they would include:
Beauty
Honor
Fidelity
Bravery
Passion
Earth-Centeredness
Mystical Love of Nature
Relishing the Tragic & Comic
If these qualities appeal to you, this may be the right way to go for your wedding!
 Example of a Celtic Ceremony
Processional: with bagpiper playing Rev. Rebecca enters followed by the Groom and his men; ring-bearer and flower girl enter; Rebecca's attendants enter; piper steps
forward and ushers in the Bride, escorted by her father.
Welcome & Honoring the Ancestors: Rev. welcomes guests and mentions "those whose spirits are with us today" while bride and groom light votive candles.
Sacred Space: Mothers come forward and light tapers while Rev. speaks of the joining of lives and of families.
First Reading: I Corinthians 7, 13
The Image: Handfasting.
Rebecca takes cloth and gently wraps it around the joined hands of the bride and groom while she says: (cloth is two-sided and each side represents something significant about the bride and groom respectively.)
May your love find lasting permanence, bound together in the fabric of life.
May the protection of marriage surround you, sustain you and comfort you.
In the binding of the this cloth, may you remember the binding of your words:
The vows of fidelity and trust that you make today.
Though the cloth has two sides, it is of one piece;
So now there are two lives, but bound together in one heart, one home.
May these lives bound together, never be torn asunder.
The Blessing:
Your love has brought us together here tonight.
Let these words be flowers on the path towards your marriage:
May you enter freely into your life together
serving each other in those ways that love requires.
Pledge to one another that the last image at night and the first image in the morning, will be the eyes that you smile into at this moment.
Pledge to one another the first bite of meat and the first drink from the cup.
Pledge to one another your living and your dying.
Honor each other above all others and let this
be a marriage of equals.
Reflection: Rev speaks to bride and groom (short - 3 min.)
Vows:
I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry out in the middle of the
night, and yours will be the eyes I look into in the morning.
I pledge to you the first drink of my cup and the first bite of my meat.
I pledge to listen to you and grow to be a better person for you.
I pledge to help you in your times of need
and to be patient and considerate of you.
I pledge to love you, to care for you and comfort you for all of our days.
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care.
I pledge to be a shield for your back and you for mine.
I will not slander you, nor you me.
I will honor you above all others, and when we quarrel, we will do so in
private and tell no strangers of our troubles.
These are my wedding vows to you,
May they hold true until the end of our days.
Exchange of Rings: Rev calls the Best Man forward with the rings; tells guests
about the significance of the rings. Bride and Groom exchange with a few words saying "With this ring, I thee wed."
Benediction: Rev joins their hands and reads from Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Pronouncement: Irish Marriage Blessing
May you see your children's children
May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Now, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss!"
Recessional: piper steps forward and begins to play the wedding march, Bride and Groom walk down aisle behind piper followed by attendants; Rev ushers parents first, then invites guests to follow her out for reception.
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Irish Wedding Traditions
TheCladdagh
This well-known image of two hands holding a crowned heart symbolizes Love, Friendship and Loyal Service ~ the hands are friendship; the heart is love; the crown is loyal service. Thus, in a single image, the Celtic braid of triple entwining of love can represent the depth of your commitment to another.
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The “Loving Cup” Quaiche
The quaich (from the Celtic word cuach, meaning cup) is a shallow, carved bowl or cup used to share a drink of honey-mead or wine or water between two lovers or friends. The cup.has two handles and the two individuals stand facing each other and take turns drinking while both hold one of the handles. It is part of the ancient tradition of hospitality from the Celtic honor system – whoever had shared a cup could not do injury to the other, hence the “loving cup” appellation. A Scottish king once gifted a Scandinavian Queen with such a cup in honor of her engagement, and it became fashionable for lovers to announce or celebrate their nuptials with a drink from the loving cup. One folk custom that has taken hold is that the Groom kisses the bottom of the quaich after they’ve drained the contents! The quaich can also be used at the Christening of a child born to the couple – the water is scooped from the same cup that graced the parents’ wedding!
Words for Sharing of the Quaich (adapted from Scottish blessings and toasts)
Strike hands with me,
the glasses brim,
the dew is on the heather,
for love is good and life is long,
and two are best together.
Bless the union of these two,
eager for marriage, eager for love.
May they begin life together,
live that life together,
and come to the end together.
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Handfasting
Originally, a form of non-church-sanctioned marriage (in Scotland during the times of rebellion when clergy were sometimes hard to come by!) the tradition of Handfasting has come into its own as a beautifully symbolic way of two people coming together to bind their lives and hearts. The cloth was traditionally two strands of tartan, representing the two clans of the families. It can be any type of cloth that holds some value to the bride and groom. In one wedding I did between a Scottish groom and a Japanese bride, the bride used a piece of her grandmother’s wedding obi (the sash worn around the gown) to fit next to the green tartan of her spouse. In another wedding, the couple’s mothers had embroidered the names and wedding date of the couple on opposite sides of a cloth in the wedding colors. Another couple used the Spanish lace mantilla from the bride’s grandmother’s wedding. Almost anything that can be flexible enough to be wrapped around the couple’s hands is suitable.
Here are some words that I wrote for the actual moment of handfasting:
May your love find lasting permanence, bound together in the fabric of life.
May the protection of marriage surround you, sustain you and comfort you.
In the binding of the this cloth, may you remember the binding of your words:
The vows of fidelity and trust that you make today.
Though the cloth has two sides, it is of one piece.
So now there are two lives, but bound together in one heart, one home.
May these lives bound together, never be torn asunder. (r.d. Armstrong 2000)
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OTHER READINGS FOR CELTIC WEDDINGS
Saint Patrick's Breastplate
May you be blessed with the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun and the radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of earth,
and the firmness of rock.
*** *** ***
Irish Wedding Vow
You cannot possess me for I belong to myself.
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.
You cannot command me, for I am a free person,
But I shall serve you in those ways you require,
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.
I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night
and the eyes into which I smile in the morning.
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup.
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care.
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine.
I shall not slander you, nor you me.
I shall honor you above all others,
and if we quarrel we shall do so in private and
tell no strangers our grievances.
This is my wedding vow to you.
This is the marriage of equals.
(attributed to Morgan Llywelyn)
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Irish Vow of Unity
We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.
*** *** ***
Irish Wedding Blessing
May God go with you and bless you,
May you see your children`s children,
May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May joy and peace surround you both,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now And God Bless you Evermore.
May you live you life with trust,
And nurture lifelong affection,
May your lifelong dreams come true for you,
Move ever that direction.
May the light of friendship guide your paths together,
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for each other trip a smile from your lips,
a twinkle from your eye.
And when eternity beckons,
at the end of the life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
with the arms that have nurtured you
the whole length of your joy-filled days.
And, today, may this Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts, forever.
Amen
*** *** ***
Benediction
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you
in the palm of his hands.
You are the star of each night,
You are the brightness of every morning,
You are the story of each guest,
You are the report of every land.
No evil shall befall you, on hill nor bank,
In field or valley, on mountain or in glen.
Neither above, nor below, neither in sea,
Nor on shore, in skies above,
Nor in the depths.
You are the kernel of my heart,
You are the face of my sun,
You are the harp of my music,
You are the crown of my company
*** *** ***
What could be more sweet than to live with one to whom you are united in body and mind, who talks with you in secret affection, and to whom you have committed all your faith and your fortune? What in all nature is lovelier? You are bound to friends in affection. How much more are you bound to a husband or wife in the highest love, with union of the body, the bond of mutual vows and the sharing of your property!... Nothing is more safe, tranquil, pleasant and loving than marriage.
*** *** ***
CELTIC WEDDING TRADITIONS
the Claddagh
This well-known image of two hands holding a crowned heart symbolizes Love, Friendship and Loyal Service ~ the hands are friendship; the heart is love; the crown is loyal service. Thus, in a single image, the celtic braid of triple entwining of love can represent the depth of your commitment to another.
Saint Patrick's Breastplate
May you be blessed with the strength of heaven,
The light of the sun and the radiance of the moon
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of earth,
and the firmness of rock.
Handfasting – A Celtic tradition
Rebecca takes cloth and gently wraps it around the joined hands of the bride and groom while she says: (cloth is two-sided and each side represents something significant about the bride and groom respectively.)
May your love find lasting permanence, bound together in the fabric of life.
May the protection of marriage surround you, sustain you and comfort you.
In the binding of the this cloth, may you remember the binding of your words:
The vows of fidelity and trust that you make today.
Though the cloth has two sides, it is of one piece;
So now there are two lives, but bound together in one heart, one home.
May these lives bound together, never be torn asunder.
Irish Wedding Vow
You cannot possess me for I belong to myself.
But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give.
You cannot command me, for I am a free person,
But I shall serve you in those ways you require,
and the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand.
I pledge to you that yours will be the name I cry aloud in the night
and the eyes into which I smile in the morning.
I pledge to you the first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup.
I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care.
I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine.
I shall not slander you, nor you me.
I shall honor you above all others,
and if we quarrel we shall do so in private and
tell no strangers our grievances.
This is my wedding vow to you.
This is the marriage of equals.
(attributed to Morgan Llywelyn)
Irish Vow of Unity
We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.
Irish Wedding Blessing
May God go with you and bless you,
May you see your children`s children,
May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
May joy and peace surround you both,
Contentment latch your door,
And happiness be with you now And God Bless you Evermore.
May you live you life with trust,
And nurture lifelong affection,
May your lifelong dreams come true for you,
Move ever that direction.
May the light of friendship guide your paths together,
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for each other trip a smile from your lips,
a twinkle from your eye.
And when eternity beckons,
at the end of the life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
with the arms that have nurtured you
the whole length of your joy-filled days.
And, today, may this Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts, forever.
Amen
Benediction
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you
in the palm of his hands.
 For more information and locations for Celtic Weddings, please contact Rev. Rebecca at 847. 707. 1781 or via email at ceremonies@aol.com
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