Celtic Wedding Traditions Detailed in New Book
By CATHOLINE BUTLER
A Celtic Wedding Pledge
You cannot possess me for I belong to myself,
But while we both wish it,
I give you that which is mine to give,
You cannot command me for I am a free person,
But I shall serve you in those ways you require.
And the honeycomb will taste sweeter coming from my hand,
I pledge to you that yours will be the name
I cry aloud in the night.
And the eyes into which I smile in the morning.
I pledge to you the first bite from my meat,
And the first drink from my cup.
I pledge to you my living and dying, equally in your care.
And tell no strangers our grievances.
This is my wedding vow to you,
This a marriage of equals.
- From Creating a Celtic Wedding
VANCOUVER - For many Celtic brides and grooms, it is important to incorporate something of their culture into the ceremony or dress on that very special day in their lives.
Helen Ritchie of Celtic Creations shop at Lonsdale Quay market in North Vancouver recently passed on to me a lovely little booklet entitled Creating a Celtic Wedding. This booklet is chock full of all kinds of information from traditions, superstitions, folklore, toasts and blessings, right down to planning your wedding.
So often, the best man or a member of the bridal party would like to give a toast to the happy couple, something to reflect their Celtic background, but they are left searching for that appropriate toast or blessing. There are some lovely toasts and blessings in this booklet, one particularly beautiful and poignant is the Celtic Wedding Pledge between the Celtic bride and groom. [See sidebar]
From the Traditions, Superstitions and Folklore section of the book, some of the suggestions for the Celtic bride’s bouquet are; tuck a sprig of shamrock into the Irish bouquet, or a branch of white heather for the Scottish, or a daffodil for the Welsh.
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Creating a Celtic Wedding is a project of the North American Celtic Buyers Association and its member shops. This booklet is available at Celtic Creations at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver which is one of the member shops.
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