Scottish wedding traditions may date back to the thirteenth century, but that doesn’t mean that they are out of style.  Celebrities like Madonna, Stella McCartney, and Ashley Judd chose to be wedded in a traditional Scottish ceremony, and every year Scotland’s national tourism agency fields dozens of requests from international couples looking to tie the knot in one of Scotland’s historic castles.

Traditional Scottish wedding rituals range from the refined to the bawdy, and in some cases, “The bawdier the better,” says Victoria Chall, a New York City-based vocalist who often sings at Scottish weddings.  She cites the tradition of relatives who are unable to attend the ceremony sending telegrams that the minister then reads aloud to the congregation. 

“He reads them very seriously, but they often contain advice about the wedding night and that sort of thing,” says Chall.  “The congregation is usually in tears because they are laughing so hard.”

Other Scottish wedding rituals originate from Celtic or medieval traditions, and many are heavily rooted in superstition.  Some of the more well known traditions include:

The engagement party.  The engagement party is known as a “reiteach.”  It can be held at the parent’s house, a club or restaurant, or sometimes a hall with the entire village invited to the event.  The bride-to-be’s father often makes the following statement in Gaelic at the event: “If she is willing, I am very willing and if that weren’t so, this wouldn’t be so.” 

The show of presents.  Much like the traditional bridal shower, a Scottish mother will often host a party for the bride.  The female guests arrive with presents that will help the newlyweds establish their home.  The bride opens the presents in front of her guests, after which the bride’s mother serves tea and cakes.

The Stag and Hen’s party.  This is similar to the American bachelor and bachelorette party, respectively.  In the Stag party, the groom has his legs smeared with grease and then has his feet washed by his friends for good luck.  Sometimes he is even covered with soot or stripped naked and tied up in front of his house in order to humiliate him.  That same night the Hen’s party takes place, in which the bride is paraded through the streets with much noise to scare away evil spirits.  The bride’s friends carry a chamber pot in which passers-by throw coins to help fund the wedding feast.

Traditional attire.  The bride wears a white wedding gown, while the groom wears a kilt and a “Bonnie Prince Charlie” jacket.  The groom also wears tartan flashes at the top of his socks, brogue shoes, and the pin of his clan that contains the clan motto.  A special pin called the Luckenboth brooch is worn by either the bride or the groom, and is pinned to firstborn baby’s blanket for good luck.  The brooch is usually silver and has two engraved intertwined hearts.  Scottish brides also follow the tradition of “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” and place a sixpence in their shoe.  The “something old” is usually a gift from the bride’s mother.  The “something new” symbolizes the start of a new life, and the “something borrowed” signifies knowledge and blessings passed down from ancestors.  “Something blue” represents purity and fidelity. 

Tartan.  Tartan is the plaid cloth used to make kilts, and at Scottish weddings the material can be found everywhere.  Each Scottish clan has their own type of tartan, so decking out a group of people or venue in the family tartan can be quite expensive.  In some ceremonies, the groom pins a tartan ribbon to the bride after they recite their vows to symbolize the joining of her husband’s clan. 

Rings.  Scottish wedding rings date back to the 1500’s, but until the late 20th century they were worn only by the bride.  The traditional rings are made of gold and are engraved with Celtic knot designs.

A Presbyterian service.  The service includes the wedding vows from the Church of Scotland, which are recited in either English or Gaelic.  Traditionally the ceremony is held in the morning with a wedding breakfast afterwards, but modern Scottish couples now hold the ceremony in the late afternoon.  They often engage in a ritual called “handfasting,” where the hands of the bride and groom are tied together with a cord to symbolize their commitment to one another.  At the beginning of the service, the minister recites a traditional wedding blessing, attributed to Reverend Donald Mcleod, minister of Durinish in Skye, Scotland, circa 1760.  It goes like this:

          A thousand welcomes to you
         With your marriage kerchief
          May you be healthy all your days
          May you be blessed with long life and peace,
          May you grow old with goodness and riches

White heather.  A sprig of white heather is incorporated into the decorations or the bridal bouquet, or often in the coat pocket of the groom.  This ritual comes from a myth about a beautiful woman who was in love with a warrior.  One day, the warrior was fatally wounded in battle and with his last breath sent a messenger to her with a sprig of purple heather.  The maiden cried and everywhere her tears fell, the heather turned to white.  She proclaimed that from that day forward, any bride who wore white heather would be blessed with the happy marriage she was never able to enjoy.

Guns, pipes, and coins.  As the bride and groom leave the church, guns are fired to frighten away evil spirits.  A bagpiper plays “Highland Wedding” at nearly every Scottish wedding.  As the newlyweds are driving away in their car, the groom will often throw a handful of silver coins out the window for the children at the event.  This is called the “wedding scramble.” 

The Penny Wedding.  Some Scottish couples choose to have a “Penny Wedding” in which the guests bring their own food and drinks to the reception venue.  Old Penny Weddings were known for their noisy guests and raucous behavior, so the clergy spurned the events.

Reception fare.  Food traditionally served at the reception includes hens, scones, mutton, new cheeses (not old cheeses), port, and—of course—scotch. 

The cake.  A Scottish wedding cake has two tiers, both of which are soaked in brandy.  The tiers are fruit-flavored, and only the first tier is eaten at the reception.  The second tier of cake is eaten in celebration of the birth of the couple’s first child.   

Quaich.  The quaich—also known as the “loving cup”—is a two-handed bowl filled with whiskey.  The bowl is then passed between the two families and among the guests so that everyone can partake in the celebration. 

The teaspoon.  The groom presents the bride with a silver, engraved teaspoon to ensure that they will never go without food. 

Carrying the bride over the threshold.  This custom has been around for over 700 years, and was originally instituted to prevent evil spirits from entering the bride through her feet.  Regardless of its origins, modern Scottish grooms still uphold tradition by carrying the bride over the threshold of the home they will share together. 

Sources: Victoria Chall, WorldWeddingTraditions.com, Scotsman.com, WeddingDetails.com, eHow.com