Though a wedding is in an of itself a beautiful ceremony in any culture, a Scottish wedding is one that should be considered for its rich ancient tradition and romantic elements.

It all starts with the traditional Scottish outfit with a kilt, Argyll jacket, dirk (short dagger) and sporran (small leather bag resting in the front), bring an aire of class and resplendent distinction to the groom. The bride maintains the seemingly universal tradition of wearing white or a cream wedding gown as if to say, she needs little Scottish adornment to add to her natural loveliness.

Though she may be encouraged to observe some of the old time traditions of the ceremony, like wearing a horseshoe on her arm for good luck and fertility.

The Bridesmaids may wear anything that coordinates with the Mrs. to be with a little tartan (small wool, plaid piece of fabric) accessory of some sort to honor the wedding custom.

Centuries ago, a Scottish wedding was an event for an entire village. Everyone would get wrapped up in the festivities in preparation for the wedding. Then on the day of the celebration townsfolk would gather along the streets to cheer and applaud the couple as they walked to the ceremony location. Much like a modern day parade.

Today, bagpipes have replaced the cheering crowds. The Piper now stands at the door in full highland dress to greet the arriving guests with traditional Gaelic hymns. Instead of an organ, this Piper plays The Highland Wedding tune as she moves down the isle to meet her betrothed.

The exchanging of rings has always been an important part of the Scottish Wedding with great emphasis placed on the no end symbolism of the ring’s form. The kissing of the bride is also the standard conclusion to the ceremony but is almost always followed up by a loud universal “whoop” from the kirk (church).

After the formal ceremony, the centuries old practice was to have a piper or a group of pipers lead the entire wedding party and guests down those same streets to a relatives house or gathering place for an all night party of eating, drinking and dancing. No need to make any adjustments to this tradition!

Scotland welcomes foreigners to experience a Scottish wedding and has a very simple process of registering for that special day. There are a few forms that need to be submitted well in advance to be everything is legal. A form M10 and related witness registration will have to be submitted. Both of which can be downloaded from the internet with stated fee requirements.

Choice of union can be anywhere of your choosing. In Scotland, authorized religious ministers can preside at marriage ceremonies in any location and at any time of day or night. A bit more preparation time is needed if you prefer to use the more formal setting of either a castle or cathedral.