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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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.

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