Scottish engagement ring and other traditions

In earlier posts I’ve talked about how the wedding engagement ring tradition can be traced back to ancient Romans and even further back to the book of Genesis when rings where given as pledges. Today, we are only going to look back as far as the Middle Ages, when the Scots started their own wedding engagement tradition of giving a fede ring. But unlike today’s practices, these silver Scottish engagement rings weren’t given to the bride-to-be, but instead was handed over to church (kirk)  when making arrangements for proclaiming the marriage. Along with the fede ring, the Scots practiced two other engagement traditions: the giving of the Luckenbooth Brooch and Claddagh Ring.

Fede Ring

Fede ring

The design of the silver fede ring included two hands which met in a clasp representing friendship, love or betrothal. This design is also historically thought to date back to ancient Rome or before.

Luckenbooth brooch

The Lukenbooth brooch tradition dates back to the early 1700s when silver and gold smiths sold merchandise in an open market along the Royal Mile, next to to Edinburgh Castle. At this time, open-market stalls were swapped for booths that could be locked after closing, and this is where the name luckenbooth (locked booth) comes from.

The jewelers crafted these brooches with designs including intertwining hearts beneath a crown which symbolized Mary Queen of Scots. Even the hearts often were shaped to create an “M” after the fashion of the Queen’s monogram.

Luckenbooth Brooch

Another wedding tradition included having these brooches engraved with a pledge of love. After the wedding, the bride often tucked the brooch away as a special keepsake. When the union was blessed with a first child, the brooch was pinned to the christening gown or blanket. Then it was tucked away until that firstborn’s own betrothal.

For those in America, an interesting twist on this tradition took place in the 18^th century when the Iroquois Indians of North America traded for Luckenbooth brooches!

Today the giving of a Luckenbooth brooch as a token of betrothal is still considered one of the most romantic symbols of love.

Claddagh ring

The Claddagh ring was also worn as an engagement ring. In fact, depending on how you wear the Claddagh ring it has different meanings including friendship, betrothal, or marriage. This ring design includes hands meeting (friendship) clasping a heart (love), topped with a crown which represents loyalty. Today this is probably the most popular traditional betrothal gifts exchanged as a token of unfailing love.

Claddagh Ring

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Wedding flowers and the superstitions tied to them

Wedding traditions are often rooted in superstition. Believe it or not, this even includes wedding flowers. In fact, wedding superstitions linked to flowers can be traced back to ancient Rome, ancient Greece, Asia, and elsewhere around the globe. While some ancient cultures didn’t actually carry or use flowers exactly like we do today, the plants they chose to incorporate in the wedding can be traced back as the precursor of the wedding flowers we have today. Of course, we don’t believe the superstitions they held back then, but isn’t it fun to know where some wedding traditions got started and why?

Wedding superstitions associated with flowers

Among wedding superstitions these are associated with flowers.

• In ancient Rome, brides carried a bouquet of herbs which symbolized faithfulness and fertility. They believed it warded off evil spirits.
• In ancient Greece, brides carried ivy, which actually has a history of being a plant of superstition. For instance, ivy growing against the side of a house was believed to keep witches away. The ancient Greeks thought that it prevented drunkenness, and when the bride carried ivy at her weddings it was thought to be a symbol of never-ending love for her spouse.
• In Victorian times, the bride tossed her wedding bouquet to a friend as she left the celebrations. This practice is still pretty commonplace today, but back then it was thought to keep that friend safe because it warded off evil spirits and brought her luck. This evolved into a tradition of its own as it came to mean that the single woman who caught the bouquet would be next to marry.

  

   Merigolds were eaten because they were thought to be aphrodisiacs!

   

  
  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

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• Brides actually ate the flowers they carried in Tudor England. They traditionally carried marigolds dipped in rosewater which ranged in flavors from spicy or peppery to bitter. The reason they ate them? They were thought to be aphrodisiacs!
• In the Middle East tradition, a bitter herb called artemisia is included in the bridal bouquet to make certain that marriages will survive the bitter times as well as harmonious times.
• In Asia, the mothers of brides and grooms in Thailand drape Thai wedding flower garlands around the couple’s shoulders as a wish for good fortune in the life together.
• In South Asia, at the end of Indian wedding ceremonies, the groom’s brother sprinkles flower petals over the newly married couple to protect them from evil.

  

   A white rose represents purity.

Wedding flowers meaning

In the Victorian era, people were also fascinated by “meanings” of different flowers. This is the time when the idea that the meaning of the rose represented true love became popular. Since then, the rose is a favorite wedding flower, but the meaning has evolved to depend on the flower's color with a white rose representing purity and a pink rose signifying joy.

Crowns of orange blossoms traditionally worn by the bride and groom in a Greek Orthodox wedding were thought to symbolize virginity and purity.

Today various popular wedding flowers are thought to have different meanings. For instance, just the flowers that grow in my front garden include the daffodil which represents new beginnings, the hydrangea which means to consider, and the iris which represents perseverance. Just think, if your creative, your floral arrangements can tell a story all their own on your wedding day!

Photo credits: pixabay, pixabay, Wikimedia

Irish lace wedding traditions

Many Irish wedding traditions are rooted in nature, originated in folklore and/or steeped in superstition. They’ve been passed down from one generation to another and are still practiced by Irish couples around the world and are now often embraced by others who love nature, or who want to incorporate ancient traditions in their wedding ceremony. One tradition not really linked to nature or superstition is Irish lace. This is a wedding tradition that dates back to the potato blight of Ireland and an act of kindness that helped the poor of Ireland.

History of Irish lace

Irish lace is a special Irish wedding tradition rooted in an act of kindness that took place at a time when many in Ireland were dying because of the potato blight of the 1800s. At the time, many poor families lived in tiny thatched cottages on land called crofts and they were so poor they had little money for necessities. In 1829 a school in Limerick was started to teach lace making; but when the potato blight hit (1845-1851) thousands of families starved. Ursuline nuns who were acquainted with Venetian lace started teaching women the fine art of crocheting what later became known as Irish lace. This lace was sold to more affluent families and the money was used to help the poor. Families created their own designs and motifs and passed the pattern on from mother to daughter. The details were kept so secret that some Irish lace patterns disappeared over time when families died out or fled the country to live elsewhere. Today, including Irish lace in the wedding in some way has become a popular tradition all its own. 

Four ways to include Irish lace in your wedding

• Wedding Handkerchief: The bride carrying a handkerchief is a tradition in itself which some historians say dates back to 1000 B.C. Irish lace wedding handkerchiefs make a beautiful keepsake for the bride and are often given as gifts to the bridal party as well as the parents of the bride and groom. In some families, the  wedding handkerchief is handed down from mother to daughter.
• Irish Wedding Garter: Irish wedding garters decorated with lace, shamrocks, Claddaugh charms and other popular Irish themes are another way to include Irish lace in your wedding tradition.
  

  

  Irish Wedding Garter with Claddaugh Charm

  
  
• Irish Lace Wedding Dress: Irish lace is still a popular choice for modern wedding dresses, too. Irish inspired wedding dresses can be found in vintage styles as well as modern patterns like mermaid wedding dresses, as well as maxi or short length wedding dresses.
• Irish Lace Streamers on Bridal Bouquet: Traditionally Irish brides carry a bridal bouquet of wildflowers or wear a wildflower wreath instead of a veil. Adding Irish lace streamers to the bouquet is a traditionally beautiful trend.

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Photo credits: pixabay, Wikimedia

Wedding invitations: Evolution from town crier to paperless

Have you ever wondered how wedding invitations were handled before the invention of the printing press? In Medieval England, the town crier or bellman was in charge of passing on all the latest news, proclamations and other important information. This included wedding invitations! In this day when we need a count of how many people are attending, can you imagine wedding invitations delivered to the general public like this? In those days, everyone who heard the announcement was basically invited.

Oral wedding invitations

Wedding invitations delivered by the town crier were accompanied by the ringing of a loud hand bell in order to draw attention to the message being delivered. The message started with “Oyez” (pronounced oh yay) which is derived from the French ouïr (to listen). It basically means, “here this.” He announced the names of the bride and groom along with the time and date of the wedding. As long as you were not among those shunned by the family, if you heard the announcement, you were invited to the wedding. However, such announcements were reserved for important weddings among nobility and aristocracy, not everyday commoners. Common people had to just trust word of mouth to get the invitations out.

Hand penned wedding invitations

During the Middle Ages, some of these well-to-do couples commissioned monks to hand pen their invitations using their expertise in calligraphy. Such invitations were elaborate and hand delivered, and those who received them were most likely able to read.

Evolution of the wedding invitations in the newspaper

Once Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1447, the town crier’s responsibilities gradually changed with the advent of newspapers, and it became commonplace to place wedding invitations in the local newspaper. In the mid-1600s, engraved wedding invitations came on the scene. These were similar to wedding invitations today. By the Victorian-age, these wedding invitations were commonly used in America, but because of the unreliability of the postal system of the day they were often hand delivered until the early 1900s. Even then, a double envelope system was used to ensure the invitation would arrive without being spoiled reroute. Today the double envelope system is still commonly used but now it's more a matter of tradition. 

Commercially printed wedding invitations came into vogue in the 1950s making wedding invitations more affordable for everyone. Today, the use of letterpress is popular, as well as digital printing, with several outlets making wedding invitations convenient to personalize and buy online.

Affordable wedding invitations online

The following online venues offer a vast selection of affordable wedding invitations:

• Vistaprint wedding invitations
• Shutterfly wedding invitations
• Along with these, paperless wedding invitations are also growing more popular.

Photo credits: pixabay, Wikimedia, pexels