Planning An Irish Theme Wedding

Whether you are Irish or just love all things Celtic, an Irish theme wedding may be for you. This type of wedding can be a lot of fun to plan and it doesn't have to mean everything is draped in green, either. The theme is timeless, so the wedding can be held at any time during the year. Everything Irish can be incorporated into the celebration, from the food to the music. An Irish theme wedding is unique and will be remembered by you and your guests for years.

One of the first things you must decide upon after choosing a date is the type of invitation that you want. Many printers have variations on the Irish themed invitations from familiar green and white colors to more exotic invitations that are presented in boxes filled with shamrock confetti. Scroll invitations are also very popular with Irish themed weddings as they make you think of castles and all things Ireland.

Irish theme wedding decorations are easy to find, especially during March, around St. Patrick's Day. Stock up on decorations at this time of year and you'll have many of the items you will need no matter when your wedding will be held. Examples of decorations you might want for your reception tables include specialty candles, shamrock sprays on fine pieces of wire, porcelain shamrock gift boxes for favors, green and gold gossamer bags for favors and decorator fabrics with Celtic and other Irish motifs.

The wedding ceremony should include the traditional Irish blessing and the requisite wedding bell. The bell is to take to your new home and be rung every time either one of you stray from your wedding vows. Many brides want to have bagpipes played at their wedding but not everyone is a fan of this music. When played indoors it can be especially loud, unless the bagpiper is playing Highland Pipes. A good idea if you really want to have the pipes played at the wedding is to have the bagpiper play outside of the church when you are entering or exiting.

A real traditional Irish theme wedding will have the men in the wedding party wearing kilts. Ask your groom and his fellows if they would wear a kilt before making any demands. The weather may also play into whether this type of dress is advisable. The bride normally wears a sash that matches the kilt pattern her groom is wearing. It is also traditional for the bride to carry a small lucky horseshoe in her bouquet or sewn onto her dress. Believe it or not, green is considered unlucky at a real Irish wedding. Choose the bridesmaids dress in other jewel tones such as sapphire blue, gold or red.

The wedding cake at an Irish wedding is usually fruitcake. The fruitcake symbolizes the richness of wedded bliss. Traditionally the top layer of the cake is saved until the christening of the couples first child. If you arent big on fruitcake, have a local baker prepare the American version of a wedding cake. You can decorate the cake, either way, with a Celtic themed topper.

A traditional Irish wedding celebration ends with the groomsmen abducting the bride in a pretend show of force. This is seldom done in this day and age unless the bride and groom are up to the challenge and have a sense of humor. If the couple agrees to do this at their Irish theme wedding it will be the most talked about celebration of the year.