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Celtic culture may traditionally be associated with Ireland but it has a strong vein through Scotland too – and that includes weddings.
Although Paganism isn’t prominently practised in the UK anymore, it still exists, particularly in certain areas like StoneHenge in Wiltshire and Glastonbury in Somerset – and those who practise, or have Pagan ancestry, often like to incorporate Celtic Pagan wedding traditions into their big day.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
What is Paganism?
Paganism in all its variations is more of a spiritual practice that pre-dates Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and other ‘major’ religions.
It can generally be traced back to the UK and Europe with the focus being on respecting and incorporating nature, cycles of life and death, and days of celebration based on the seasons (such as Samhain in autumn and Beltane in spring) to their worship.
Denominations of Paganism include Wicca, Shamanism, Druidism, and other spiritual focuses where the ‘church’ is nature.
Why Have a Pagan Wedding?
Because of Scotland’s close association with Celtic and Gaelic beliefs, Celtic Pagan wedding traditions aren’t uncommon in this area of the UK.
So, let’s get the lowdown on what to plan/expect if you’re thinking about a Celtic Pagan wedding.
Well, first things first: your Celtic wedding will need to be performed by a (licenced) humanist celebrant, and cannot take place in a church, chapel, or typical house of worship.
Also, one of the reasons that Celtic Pagan weddings are popular in Scotland is because of the country’s relaxed and flexible laws on getting married almost anywhere outdoors, which is generally prohibited in other areas of the UK.
Because of the close relationship between Celtic Paganism and nature, this makes Scotland the obvious choice for a gorgeous alternative wedding or elopement.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
How Pagan Marriages Differ From Christian Ones
Unlike Christian matrimony, the man and woman of a Celtic Pagan wedlock were/are equal within the social system and the marriage was/is completely consensual.
This means the woman had a right to choose her husband, isn’t expected to become a member of her husband’s family, and often held property before the marriage, which she can keep as completely her own.
Both parties were allowed to separate at any time and the couple’s respective belongings and properties are protected.
Above all, there isn’t a traditional religion indoctrinated into the wedding that kept the couple (particularly the woman) in certain restraints or lacking in social autonomy.
Celtic Wedding Traditions
Many of the wedding traditions we know and love today stem from ancient Celtic Pagan weddings, including:
Handfasting
You will often find handfasting in many Scottish weddings, irrespective of Pagan beliefs or not. However, handfasting wasn’t founded by Celtic Pagans.
Dating back to the Scottish and Irish middle ages, the purpose of handfasting was as ‘a trial’ to see if the couple in question were matrimoniously compatible, and took place during the engagement period – not the wedding ceremony.
For practicality reasons, this married life ‘trial’ didn’t involve the physical act of handfasting – which is the binding of wrists with a ribbon – and just served as a practice marriage.
Fast forward to the 21st century and handfasting takes place during the wedding vows and features the celebrant binding the couple’s wrists with ribbons to symbolise togetherness.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
Celtic Knot
Those not local or familiar with Celtic or Gaelic lore may assume the infamous Celtic knot is a Christian symbol. It isn’t. Christians stole it from the Pagans (along with many other traditions).
Dating back to the 3rd century AD, the Celtic Knot features a plait design in the shape of a cross, with a circle at the head. The latticework design is unbroken and forever bound, which is a popular symbolic representation of marriage.
The knot comes in many variations and can be featured in a Pagan wedding as an ornament, pieces of jewellery, or even matching tattoos.
Incense Burning
Incense plays a role in many religious or spiritual practices, including Buddhism, Wicca, and Catholicism, and it is often incorporated into Celtic Pagan wedding ceremonies.
Incense isn’t only about creating a pleasant smell. It has a spiritual purpose that, depending on the herbs/fragrance used to create the incense (such as rose, sandalwood, jasmine, vanilla, sage, etc.), represents certain beliefs and invocations.
A Celtic Wedding ceremony may feature sage incense to cleanse and purify the couple before entering wedlock, or there may be rose incense to symbolise love, or dragon’s blood to ignite passion, and so on.
The Caim
The Caim is a type of ‘prayer’ to the ancient Pagan gods for protection. It usually features a makeshift circle created around the couple at the altar to protect the marriage.
Because Pagan weddings happen outside in nature, the circle is usually drawn in the dirt by a dagger, lance, or sword.
Couples often create their own prayer, which can be recited in English, Gaelic, or Celtic.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
Rice Throwing
Before colourful confetti became the wedding norm, couples would usually expect to be showered in dried rice at the hands of the guests once the vows were completed.
Again, Christians would have you believe this was their invention, but the tradition is so old, it pre-dates Christianity. So much so, it is said to harken all the way back to the Iron Age.
Celts were famous for their role in agriculture, so rice was often something they had in abundance. The meaning of this tradition was to symbolise abundance and prosperity for the couple’s marriage, as well as protection.
Celtic Wedding Ceremony
If you’re set on having a Celtic wedding ceremony, here’s how to plan your special Pagan day.
First of all: the most important element of any Pagan wedding is the inclusion of nature.
Nature is the temple in which all Pagans worship, so if you desire a registry office in the centre of Glasgow in amongst the concrete jungle of city life, a Pagan wedding isn’t for you.
Pagan weddings will almost always take place outdoors in a rural, peaceful area, close to the element of water – and with the abundance of lochs in Scotland, you’re spoilt for choice in the location department.
The Pagans are a superstitious bunch and there are a few superstition-based traditions that can be incorporated into your wedding:
- Having someone else place your veil on. It is considered bad luck for a bride to place her veil on her own head.
- Don’t worry about a wee Scottish downpour! Bad weather on your wedding day is meant to bring good luck and a long, happy marriage.
- An Irish penny kept in your shoe is said to bring good luck.
- Horseshoes and bells are fortuitous.
- If your wedding dress accidentally gets caught on a bramble bush and tears – fear not! This is said to foretell good luck.
Celtic Pagan weddings aren’t strict or stuffy like Catholic weddings, so you can adapt and play around with ideas to make it unique and fun to you, and the ‘amount’ of Pagan influence is entirely up to you.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
A Pagan Wedding Feast
Food and drink is a huge part of any celebration, and a Pagan wedding is no exception.
Obviously, as it is your wedding, the edible aspect is entirely down to yours and your partner’s preferences, but some Celtic Pagan wedding feast traditions include:
- Eating salt and oatmeal before the feast to protect the couple from evil.
- Drinking honey wine from a quaich.
- An array of potato-featuring dishes, as potatoes are the Irish staple. This includes Colcannon (potatoes and cabbage) and Boxty (potato pancakes).
- Freshly-made Soda bread.
- Guinness (we mean – it would be rude not to!).
- Scotch whisky shared between the couple and sipped from a Quaich.
- Irish wedding cake, which is a three-layered fruit cake laced with almond paste and lots and lots of whisky!
FAQs
As mentioned above, the main tradition that takes place in a Celtic Pagan wedding is handfasting (the act of binding the hands together with ribbon or rope to symbolise unbreakable love).
As well as handfasting, couples will speak vows and exchange rings, which is where these well-known traditions stem from.
Pagan wedding vows are famously simple and – unlike weddings attached to virtually every religion – do not hold misogynistic or controlling commands.
An idea of Celtic wedding vows would focus predominantly on the promise or protecting each other and inviting blessings into the marriage.
As well as the traditions mentioned above, some of the most prominent Pagan wedding traditions include:
- Jumping the broom – a representation of the couple’s sexual union.
- Exchanging of swords – the Pagans bloody love a sword, so the gifting of a sword to each other is symbolic of love and protection.
- Wine offerings. Pagan couples will offer wine to the Gods and Goddesses of fertility.
While ring exchanging isn’t exclusive to Pagan wedding traditions, it certainly has prominent roots here.
In almost every culture/religion where rings are exchanged during a wedding ceremony, the purpose is to symbolise union, commitment, and loyalty.
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