Scottish Wedding Folklore

Scottish wedding traditions are unique and beautiful - steeped in history with origins dating deep our nations past. Indeed, many have their roots in pagan rites and rituals from ancient Celtic times.

Most modern Scottish wedding traditions date back to the 13th century. Scotland has long been known to do things with her own unique style and a Scottish wedding is certainly no different. Today the Scottish wedding is an intricate mixture of ancient highland tradition blended with modern, more streamlined rites and ceremony.

Medieval Scottish wedding practices

During medieval times a wedding was a celebration for the entire town or village. Townfolk would line up along the streets to the church to cheer and wish the couple well as they went on their journey to take their vows. It was common in pre-Reformation times for the priest to perform two wedding services. The first would be done in the local Scottish dialect outside the church. After that, a formal Latin service complete with mass would take place inside the chapel.

Banns of Marriage:

The medieval Celtic church would publish marriage banns for three Sundays in a row. This method of announcing the intent to marry was used for 600 years. It was only late in the 20th century when the Bans of Marriage tradition was replaced by a notice of intent that had to be given to the local registrar.

Interestingly, unlike England and Wales, in Scotland it still the clergyman, humanist or registrar who is licensed to perform the ceremony. In the rest of the UK it's the building rather than a person which is licensed to host the wedding service.

Exchanging Rings:

Exchanging rings has always been a main part of Scottish wedding ceremonies, even in ancient times. The ring is symbolic of the love in a marriage - having no beginning and no end. Kissing the bride comes after the exchange of the rings, and the wedding guests would then frequently cheer the new couple.

Wedding Pipes:

After the formal church ceremony, a piper or group of pipers would lead the guests down the streets, most frequently to a relative’s house for a huge celebration including feasting and entertainment. Musicians would then get everyone dancing - the first dance normally being a reel that included the newlyweds. The rest of the guests would then join in and dance to the sma' hours of the morning. What's changed?

The 'first' night:

Once the celebrations were over, the newly married couple would get to spend their first night in their new home. The bride was carried over the threshold, according to ancient tradition, to protect her from evil spirits that inhabit the door thresholds. A husband would lift his bride and carry her over the threshold - laying her onto the wedding bed. During medieval times, a priest would come round with the couple and bless the house and the wedding bed. Eventually, the newlyweds would get to spend their first night together as man and wife.


Creeling the bridegroom:

The Scottish Highlands had a custom called “creeling the bridegroom.” This tradition made the groom carry a large basket or creel filled with stones from one side of the village to the other. He had to continue until his bride to be came out of her house and kissed him. If she did, his friends would let him stop. If not, he had to continue until he had circled the entire town.

Bouquet Toss:

Another tradition that most couples continue to follow is the bride tossing her wedding bouquet. This bouquet, which is usually of white roses, is tossed over a brides left shoulder. Unattached bridesmaids and other single women from the bridal party stand behind her. The tradition is that whoever catches the flowers will be next to be married.

Luckenbooth:

A luckenbooth or Scottish broach, is a traditional love symbol and a betrothal present. Usually made of silver, it is engraved with two hearts intertwined. Some couples pin the luckenbooth on the blanket of their first-born child for good luck.

Penny Weddings:

If money is really tight, why not arrange a 'Penny Wedding'? In the olden days, this involved guests bringing their own food and beverages to celebrate after the ceremony. Penny Weddings, also known as  'silver bridal weddings' were renowned for drinking, dancing, feasting and fighting. They were enjoyed by everyone except the clergy, who disapproved of such chaos. It was normal practice for guests to give the couple gifts to help defray the costs of the wedding feast and all the celebrations - which began on the evening before the wedding. The night before celebrations included singing, toasts to the happy couple, and ritual feet washing.

Castle weddings:

A traditional Scottish wedding venue for centuries, castle weddings have become increasingly popular in the last decade as stately home owners open the doors to weddings up and down the country. Castle settings have the advantage of grandeur, privacy and large grounds - often absent from hotel locations.

Tying the Knot:

In Scotland, the term ‘tying the knot’ came from the practice of the bride and groom ripping their wedding plaids (clan tartans) and tying them together as a sign of unity between the two families.

The expression itself originated from Roman times. At that time, the bride wore a girdle that was tied in many knots that the groom had to untie. This phrase can also refer to the tying of the knot in a hand-fasting ceremony, which was frequently performed informally and without the presence of clergy.

Auld Lang Syne:

Scottish wedding celebrations can easily last an entire night. The evening normally starts with the newlyweds taking the floor for the first dance. Before the dancing ends, it's usual practice for the married couple to sneak away to their room or to a secret destination for their first night of marriage. At the end of the wedding celebrations, it is normal for all the guests to step onto the dance floor, hold hands, form a circle and sing the immortal words of Robert Burns -  'Auld Lang Syne'.

Local Scottish Wedding Traditions:

While some wedding traditions go on and on, others have changed markedly in recent years. It's probably for the better that some traditions are now long forgotten.

Blackening:

In Aberdeenshire, even today, they perform a ritual called a ‘blackening.’ Those who are not the bride and groom enjoy it immensely! The engaged couple are captured by their friends and covered with all sorts of foul substances like soot, feathers and treacle. They are then paraded all over town and into the pubs. The couple frequently need days to wash the dirt off.

Hand-fasting:

In the 18th century, the Scots observed a custom called 'hand-fasting'. A couple who wished to be married would live together for a year and a day - after which time they could part or make a life-long commitment. It was considered more important for the bride to be experienced and fertile than to be a virgin when she got married.

Unfinished wedding dresses:

According to tradition, a hair is sewn onto the hem of the wedding dress to ensure good luck. Alternatively, a drop of blood can be placed onto an inner seam. It is said that a bride must never try on a completed dress before her wedding day. Even today, dressmakers still often leave a small portion of the hem unsewn until the very last moment.

Stepping out on the right foot:

As the bride leaves her home for the last time as a single girl, she should step out of her door right foot first - for good luck.

Feet Washing:

Tradition states that a tub of water was to be prepared and placed in the best room of the home. The bride would put her feet in, and her female friends would gather around and wash her feet. A borrowed wedding ring from a woman who was happily married would be placed in the tub. Whoever found the ring would be the next one to be married.

While this was going on, it was common practice for the men to gather outside the door to the room and laugh and gawk at the proceedings. The women would then grab the bridegroom and he was made to sit at the tub. They then apply ashes, soot and cinders to his legs. This tradition was not for the faint hearted - and as you can imagine, not very comfortable!

Wedding Procession:

As the bridal party arrived at the church, petals would be thrown in front of the blushing bride. If they came across a pig or a funeral on the way, it was considered very bad luck and they would go back home and try once again. The first person they ran into was called the 'first-foot'. He or she would be given a coin and a drink of whisky, courtesy of the bride. The first-foot would then go with the bridal party for a whole mile before being allowed to go about their business.

Island Traditions:

In Gaelic tradition May is an unlucky month in which to marry. Couples didn't like to get married during a waning moon, either. In the remote islands off the coast of Scotland, there are superstitions and wedding traditions that are unique to their culture. On Barra, for example, it was traditional for the priest to sprinkle a little water on the marriage bed to bless it. On Mull, the tradition stated that the new couple must sleep in a barn on their first night. On the Isle of Lewis, they had to live with the bride’s parents for an entire week before being allowed to go to their own home.

Recent Scottish Wedding Practices

In recent decades, most of the superstition and ancient rituals have been replaced  by more modern, showier traditions. However, it's easy to see how many of today’s traditions still have their roots in Scotland's distant past.

The bagpiper:

The traditional bagpiper adds a lot of atmosphere and grandeur to any wedding and is certainly a memorable sight. In full Highland dress, the piper usually stands playing at the church door. He'll greet the guests and will often pipe the bride down the aisle to a tune such as the 'Highland Wedding'. Afterwards, he'll pipe the married couple from the church to the wedding car.

Old traditions still remain however. Just as in medieval times, the newlyweds are often piped into the reception -to the top table. A bagpiper will often play during the cutting of the cake as well, passing a traditional dirk, (a sharp, Highland dagger), which the bride then uses to cut the pastry. As she cuts the cake, it is customary for the bride's hand to be guided by that of her new husband.

Wedding Rings

Until late in the 20th century, it was common for only the bride to get a wedding ring. Now it's common practice for both bride and groom to wear rings. Traditional Scottish wedding bands made of gold date all the way back to the 1500s. This style is still popular for wedding rings today, as are engagement and wedding rings designed with recognisable Celtic knotwork.

The tradition of wearing the ring on the third finger isn't Scottish or Celtic - it comes from Roman times. The Romans believed that the vein on the third finger ran straight to the heart. This symbol of the wedding commitment was believed to bind both love and life.

Pre-Wedding Day Traditions:


Bridal Shower:

The term 'bridal shower' comes a bride’s 'show of presents'. Local women-folk would traditionally give items to help establish the new couple’s home. Today, the show of presents frequently takes place in the mother of the bride’s home. Gifts are now a bit more luxurious - rather than just practical as they were in days gone by. Invitations for the bridal shower are sent to the people who have given the couple wedding gifts. These gifts are unwrapped and set out for viewing. Guests can come round and see what the couple has received.

Hen Night:

It's traditional that after the show of presents, the bride to be is dressed up and her friends will take her through the town singing and making noise with pots and pans to announce her wedding day. This is now known as the ‘hen night.’

Stag Night:

Similarly, a groom’s stag night has ancient beginnings. A stag night is supposed to be the celebration of a man's last night of freedom. It's also to let him know that even though he is going to be married, his true friends won’t abandon him. The groom's friends would take him for a night on the town and drink as much as possible.

As the night slows down, his friends would sometimes strip him of his clothes and cover him with treacle, soot and feathers. He may even be left overnight tied to a lamp post or a tree. In some areas in rural Scotland, an open lorry or truck is rented and used to parade the groom around town accompanied by much noise and merrymaking.

Adopted Wedding Traditions

Tying shoes to a car bumper:

Shoes held a lot of power and symbolism in early civilisation. The Ancient Egyptians would trade sandals when they traded goods. So it followed that if the father of the bride gave his daughter to the groom, he would include the bride’s sandals to demonstrate that she now belonged to her husband. The Anglo-Saxons had a tradition that when the groom would tap the heel of the bride’s shoe. This demonstrated his authority over her. In the 19th and early 20th century guests would throw shoes at the couple. Now they just tie shoes to the wedding car as the newly weds set off after the ceremony.

The taking of each other's right hand:

An open right hand has long been symbolic of resource, purpose and strength. Bringing both right hands together is symbolism that the bride and groom can depend on each other and the resources that each brings into the marriage. You could also say that it stands for the merging of two lives into one.

Wearing of a veil:

Wearing a veil began when arranged marriages were the norm. The groom’s family would tell him he would be marrying, but most of the time he never got to see the bride. If he didn’t like the way she looked, he might not marry her. In keeping with this fear, the father of the bride would give the bride to the groom, who then lifted the veil to gaze on the face of unseen wife for the first time.

Wedding cake:

Like a lot of other rituals handed down through time, no wedding ritual would be complete without a cake. The cake is actually a fertility symbol from ancient Roman times. 2000 years ago, the Romans would bake a cake of wheat or barley and break it over the head of the bride to symbolize her fertility. As time went on, and as the number of guests increased, it became tradition to stack several cakes up in a pile. The bride and groom would kiss over the top of the tower, trying not to knock it over. If they could kiss and not knock any of the cakes down, they would have good fortune. During King Charles II's reign in England, it became fashionable to frost these layers of cakes with sugar.

Leap year proposals:

The right for women to propose on February 29th every leap year can be traced back hundreds of years. Leap year day was not always recognized in English law. Officialdom ‘leapt over’ the day and ignored it, which is why it is now called ‘leap year.’ Since the day had no legal status, people gave laws and traditions scant regard on this day. So it was that women took advantage of this lawless opportunity to propose to the man they hoped to marry.

It was also considered that since the leap year day corrected the time discrepancy between the 365 day calender and the real time it took the Earth to orbit the sun - 365 days, 6 hours. it was the perfect opportunity for women to balance out a tradition that they considered unfair and one-sided.

For those who wish to give this tradition a try, the next leap year is in 2012. That is if you've missed February 29th 2008!

Tossing Confetti:

When the ceremony is over, it is traditional for flowers, petals and pretty confetti to be thrown at the couple as they leave the church or wedding venue.

Tossing confetti at newlyweds began with ancient pagan rituals of showering the newlyweds with grain for fertility. The pagans believed that the fertility of the seeds would be conferred to the couple they fell on. This is why rice was also traditionally thrown at weddings.

Confetti comes from the same word that we get confectionary from in Italian. It was used to describe “sweetmeats” or grain and nuts rolled in sugar. These tasty treats were also thrown over newlyweds to promote fertility. Recently, confetti has switched to tiny pieces of colorful paper rather than sweetmeats, grains and nuts. It is an inexpensive substitute that has inherited the name confetti from its sweeter predecessors.

The Wedding Scramble:

In some Scottish towns it's still traditional to throw coins to the gathered children outside the church. They call this a scramble.  Children hearing the church bells would make a 'beeline' to any local wedding. As the couple left the church, the groom will reach into his pockets, or sporran, and throws all the loose change out on the ground for the kids to 'scramble' after.

Carrying the bride o'er the threshold:

The Scots are not the only ones who carried their brides over the threshold. The Romans also believed that it was unlucky if the bride tripped on her way into the house for the first time. Instead, several members of the bridal party were responsible for carrying her over the threshold. Unfortunately today, the groom must manage on his own!

Grey Horses:

In Victorian times very best bridal carriages used to be drawn by grey horses. To this day it is considered good luck to see a grey horse on your way to the ceremony.

Lucky horse shoe:

Horseshoes have been considered lucky practically ever since they were invented. The old tale goes that the devil asked a blacksmith to shoe his single hoof. When the blacksmith realized his customer was the devil, he made the shoeing process as painful as possible. The devil finally screamed for mercy. The blacksmith released him only on the condition that he would never enter a place displaying a horseshoe. If a bride carries a horseshoe, it is not only lucky - but is considered to be a fertility symbol.

Wedding Bells:

The pealing of the bells as the happy couple leaves the church is a another time-honored tradition. Before most people could read and newspapers became commonplace, ringing the church bells was how the rest of the town was informed that a wedding had taken place. Bells are also believed to scare away evil spirits.

Lucky Chimney Sweep:

Many brides still think it is good luck to pass a chimney sweep as they are going to the church. Chimney sweeps have long had magical connotations with the hearth of the home. The hearth was where the fire burned and was heart of every family home.

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue"

Something old:

Something old is frequently a gift to a bride from her mother or grandmother. This gift symbolizes the passing on of the mother’s wisdom.

Something new:

This is often a gift that symbolizes the new begining that married life represents. Something new of course, could be the wedding dress. Down the line, what was something new at this wedding may be something old or borrowed at the next generation’s wedding. A blue garter is the easiest way to include blue into most wedding outfits. The garter symbolizes love. In some parts of the UK it's also traditional for the bride to place a new coin in her shoe for good luck.

Something borrowed:


Ideally something is borrowed from a couple who are happily married so that some of their married bliss will 'rub off' on the newlyweds.



Something blue:


There are two different sources for something blue. In Rome, women bordered their robes with blue to represent modesty, fidelity and love. Blue is also the color associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus, the colour blue representing purity, sincerity and steadfast love.

Highland Dress:

There's no doubt that the traditional Scottish highland dress adds an element of class and elegance to a wedding. The use of a kilt, jacket, sporran and dirk in Scottish weddings has been going on for centuries.

The Highland dress traditionally consists of a Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket and waistcoat, white hose, gillie brogues, a kilt with tartan flashes to match, a kilt pin, a black belt with a buckle, 'sgian dubh', a formal sporran with a chain wrap, a black or colored bow tie, a wing collar shirt  - and a piece of heather on the lapel for luck. The groom may also wear a fly plaid if he chooses, which is attached under the epaulette on the shoulder of his jacket and secured with a cairngorm, or large plaid brooch.

The groom’s party and the bride’s father often will opt to wear full Highland dress, including the traditional tartan of their clan. Indeed, nowadays if the groom is wearing a kilt - he sets the standard that the rest of the male guests just have to follow.

Bridal Dresses:

Having the bride wear a white gown and a veil is a much more modern tradition. Scottish brides most often will wear a traditional white or cream gown. The bride may choose to wear a horseshoe on her arm for good luck, or they may have a pageboy deliver one to her as she makes her appearance at the ceremony. Bridesmaids will wear what the bride has chosen to match her dress, and they may also have a tartan accessory. Wedding bouquets and favours may be tied with tartan bows or ribbons so as to continue the Scottish theme throughout the day.

Lastly, ....don't look in the mirror:

It is believed in some circles that it is bad luck for a bride to have a last look in the mirror once she is all ready to leave for the ceremony. Many old beliefs state that part of yourself goes into the reflection, and by doing so, a bride will not be giving all of herself to her new spouse.

Best Wishes from Scottish Wedding Pipers!

Scottish Wedding Pipers hope that you have truly enjoyed reading about Scottish and adopted Scottish marriage traditions and superstitions. Don’t let any of these put you off from ‘tying the knot’ though!