What are Scottish wedding traditions?
Scottish · also called quaich, pinning the tartan, Scottish wedding customs
Scottish weddings bring the quaich, the pinning of the tartan, handfasting and a ceilidh — and the ceilidh is the one that changes the evening. A caller teaches the room the dances as they go, which means everyone dances, including the people who never dance.
The quaich and the tartan
The quaich is a shallow two-handled cup - the 'cup of friendship' - filled with whisky and drunk from by both partners, each hand on a handle. Two hands each means neither can hold a weapon, which is the old reading, and drinking from one cup is the obvious one. Families often use a quaich that has been used before.
Pinning the tartan is the moment a sash of the groom's clan tartan is pinned onto the bride, formally welcoming her into the family. It is usually done by his mother, and at clan weddings it carries real weight.
The ceilidh
A ceilidh band plus a caller who explains each dance before it starts. The Gay Gordons, Strip the Willow, the Dashing White Sergeant - nobody is expected to know them, which is exactly why the floor fills.
It changes what a reception is. There is no gap where people stand around waiting for the dancing to get going, because the caller simply starts and everyone is pulled in.
Planning it properly
A tradition only goes well if the people running your day know it is coming. These are the things to say out loud, and who to say them to.
- Book a ceilidh band with a caller
- The caller is the point. A band without one leaves a room that does not know the steps standing still.
- Check your floor size and surface
- Ceilidh dances move in large circles and lines and need real space. A small dance floor genuinely does not work.
- Ask families about an existing quaich
- Many have one. Using a family quaich is meaningfully different from buying one.
- Tell your venue about whisky in the ceremony
- Some venues restrict alcohol outside licensed service areas, which includes a ceremonial cup.
Common questions
What is a quaich ceremony?
Both partners drink whisky from a shallow two-handled cup, each holding a handle. It is the 'cup of friendship', and sharing one cup with both hands occupied is the traditional image of trust between two families.
What is a ceilidh at a wedding?
Scottish social dancing with a live band and a caller who teaches each dance before it starts. Because nobody is expected to know the steps, the floor fills in a way most wedding receptions never manage.
What is pinning the tartan?
A sash of the groom's clan tartan is pinned onto the bride, usually by his mother, formally welcoming her into the clan.
The vendors who make this work
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