Irish theme wedding ideas

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An Irish theme wedding is a wonderful way to honor your heritage, and your traditional Irish culture, to have a unique wedding.

Or, perhaps you're not Irish, but you really like the wonderful sound of Celtic music and enjoy their traditions, you can still enjoy Celtic wedding themes.

The success is in the small details to coordinate this fun wedding theme.

Begin with your choice of wedding colors.The classic Irish theme wedding color would, of course, be green. But you don’t need to use the traditional emerald green if you don't want.

Consider other shades of green for a monochromatic wedding color scheme of the same color. You can find more information on decorating your wedding with green here.Green Wedding Theme

The Irish flag colors are orange, white and green… this may be nice to use.

Irish theme wedding invitations

Invitations hint of what the wedding theme will be. Look for small clover confetti you can tuck inside, or how about a photo of an Ireland countryside painted or copied on the front?

Have a Celtic cross or Celtic knot on the front of your invitations.

Have the “Irish blessing” printed on your wedding programs.

Irish wedding theme attire

Tradition would be the groom and groomsmen wear kilts instead of tuxes. (It may be a true test of friendship to see which of them will agree to that if they are not accustomed to kilts)!

The bride wore a sash over her dress in the plaid pattern that matched her new husband’s from his lineage. Irish lace can be worn in a veil or handkerchief and is known for its intricate decoration and patterns.

Consider having unique transportation

A wedding carriage brings back the days of old and is a romantic way to get to your reception.

Irish music

Bagpipes could be played and if played by a professional, can sound lively and fun. They can also be quite loud, so choose them carefully and the location you'll be having them play. If finding a professional bagpipe playing is not possible, a harpist is another good choice.

Celtic music should be played during the reception, and there are many varieties of this. I particularly prefer Celtic harp music for a wedding for it's soft and beautiful sound, there are many CD options for this if you're not having a live band or musician.

The traditional Irish Wedding Bell

The wedding bell is rung by the new husband just after being pronounced husband and wife. This bell accompanies the new couple to their new household and is rung whenever they argue to remind them of their wedding vows. (Wow- nothing like letting the neighbors know what’s going on at your house huh?)

Small bells could be given to your guests to ring after the ceremony instead of rice or birdseed.

Another Irish tradition is for the men to fire rifles into the air to announce that the couple is wed. Firing weapons may not be too welcomed nowadays, so blanks could be used, if this is an appealing tradition to you. (Give a man a gun and most would enjoy a reason like 'tradition' to shoot one off.)

Another tradition is the brides bouquet would hold a horseshoe inside, or a small one sewn to the inside hem of her dress- for good luck.

Irish Feast for the wedding

Typically held at the bride’s family’s house. Traditional Irish dishes such as stew, and soda bread were served. Wedding cakes were fruit cakes with rich icing.

Irish theme wedding reception centerpieces

It can be anything green -lots of green- like clovers with votive candles nestled inside.

Here are a few more suggestions:

Long tree branches with vines and greenery woven throughout
Use clay pots filled with chocolate gold coins and clover, or shamrocks charms and confetti, inside mixed in with your flowers as the centerpieces.
Another table decoration idea is to take framed pictures of Ireland-either your own or from a book-and place them along the tables with small floating votive candles and native Ireland blossoms scattered around.
How about beer mugs with flowers inside as centerpieces? The look is simple to do. You can use flea market beer mugs, fill with shiny gold wrapping paper or celephane and fill the mug. Add your wedding flowers inside with a small vase for water. Or, simply fill with colored water and a floating votive candle.
The Irish had many sayings and words of blessings, find your favorites and put them also in frames on the reception tables. Perhaps a guest from each table would like to read each one aloud after the toast.
Green tablecloths with Lace overlays is elegantly Irish.