Honoring your ancestors is a popular way to personalize weddings, especially when they happen to be the sort that invented golf, penicillin and higher education, inspired a Mel Gibson blockbuster, and continue to dominate all kinds of little fashion niches. (Scots: cool! Huns: not necessarily so cool!).
So unsurprisingly, wedding couples like to flaunt it when their parents happen to be clever enough to have issued from Highlanders. The kilts, the clans, the crests: aren’t these enough for a fabulous wedding all by themselves?
The tricky part, as a bride just noted on FavorIdeas, can be this: how to handle the Clash of the Tartans. And, there are other obvious pitfalls to avoid. Like, the plaid wedding gown (of which there are far. Too. Many. Designs available.) Really, you only need the barest touch of tartan to pull off a wedding that’s thoroughly Scottish in spirit.
Decor Ideas for Scottish weddings, originally uploaded by WedSmack. Click image for larger.
CREDITS
Row 1: “Just for Luck” horseshoe. Lavender shortbread favors. Quaich and thistle cake topper. Jessica & Jason’s handfasting by Art of Love.
Row 2: Scottish Tablet. Nicole’s Horseshoe Wedding by David Perry films. Flower of Scotland boutonniere. Scotty dog gummie and m&m favors.
Row 3: Scottish bouquet wrap. Studded rose and “thistle” bridal bouquet. Mini Whiskey bottle favors. Erin & John in Midlothian (The Knot).
Row 4: Boutonniere with thistle, tartan and crest, Brides. Jennifer & Brian, The Knot. 3′ tall composite “thistle” arrangement, Arena Flowers. Aberdeen letterpress suite, via Southern Weddings.
Row 5: Scotty dog ring bearer. Bridesmaid bouquets from Lanaya & Zach via Fiore Blossoms. Old-world ascot style, Christina & Chad via the Bride’s Cafe. Venue photo, Cara, via StyleMePretty.
Row 6: Venue photo 2, Cara. Rose & Thistle cake from Daisy Hill Cake Co. Emma & Michael, Lillian & Leonard photography. Beautiful bride via Peonies & Polaroids.
So here’s a board that goes in for elegance. It leans heavily on that Scottish icon, the thistle. Thistles are perfect motifs for letterpressed invites, and in 3-D, gorgeous with creamy white roses.
Then, use the very Scotch tactic of drawing out the beauty of a grand old ballroom or a fuss-free, all-natural garden setting for your reception. In other words, don’t over-decorate. Let libraries, portraits and grand old staircases be the bulk of your eye candy. Or if outdoors, glass jars and wildflowers. Scottish weddings tend to share the charming restraint of New England weddings and that effortless-looking elegance of Southern ones.
Other touches that won’t make you look like Mrs. Awley’s second grade Tartan Day: lucky horseshoes, a lovely quaich or handfasting sash for the ceremony, and just a dash of tartan ribbon woven up a staircase, under a cake topper or tucked in a boutonniere.
Then, for favors? A simple stack of homemade lavender shortbread and miniature bottles of whiskey. Or delicious Scotch tablet in a cube box, or those adorable Scotty gummies in a bag of personalized M&Ms. How freakin’ cute is that?
There you go. All the Scottish heart a bride could ask for, and not a trace of Mrs. Awley.
