From Extra Special to Seemingly Strange: Scottish Wedding Traditions

Let’s cosy up and unravel the magic of Scottish Wedding Traditions together, like we’re chatting over a steaming cup of tea by the fireside. Here’s a glimpse into five enchanting traditions that will make your big day as unique and unforgettable as your love story:

Handfasting: A Celtic Embrace

Let’s kick things off with a touch of ancient Celtic charm! Handfasting- originating from Scotland’s misty past, is all about binding your love with ribbons or cords as a symbol of unity, weaving a love story with threads of history and tradition. This ceremony symbolizes the combining of two souls in a union of love, trust, and mutual respect. As hands are clasped together, ribbons or tartan cords are wrapped around them, creating a visual representation of the couple’s commitment to each other.

Quaich Ceremony: Sharing the Cup of Love

Next up, we have the Quaich Ceremony, a delightful Scottish tradition symbolizing love, trust, and shared experiences. It’s like toasting to a lifetime of love and laughter, sealed with a sip of shared happiness.

Sword Dance: Dance of Unity

Now, let’s step into a lively Scottish ceilidh with the Sword Dance tradition, where the newlyweds showcase their unity and coordination. Dancing between crossed swords symbolizes the balance, harmony, and partnership needed in marriage. It’s like a joyful celebration of your connection, with a dash of flair and a touch of tradition to make your hearts dance in unison.

Bride and Groom Whisky Soak

Hold onto your kilts and wedding gowns for this one! In this cheeky tradition, the bride and groom are covered in molasses, feathers, or anything sticky and messy before their wedding as a test of their commitment and ability to endure challenges together. It’s a quirky Scottish ritual that promises laughter, camaraderie, and a shared adventure right from the start of your married life.

Oathing Stones: Pledges in Stone

Last but not least, let’s talk about the Oathing Stones – a beautiful Scottish tradition where the couple holds stones while making their vows. These stones symbolise the solid foundation of their promises, a tangible reminder of their commitment carved in stone. It’s like etching your love story into the very earth beneath your feet, creating a lasting symbol of your unbreakable bond.

Em & Dec

★★★★★

Apologies, we are late to review, but do you know who isn’t late? Andrew! He is punctual, naturally charismatic, entertaining and an all-round gem! As soon as we met Andrew over Zoom, we knew he was the man for us, so imagine how relieved we were that he was willing to marry us! We live in Wiltshire and arranged a flying visit to Edinburgh to sort a few wedding things, before returning a few months later to get married. Andrew was flexible and able to meet with us for a coffee and a chat, once he’d married another couple of course. After all, he is a dedicated man! The most incredible thing is how he took the ramble of what we told him about how we met and about ourselves as a couple, and crafted it into a beautiful ceremony that he conducted a few months later. We cannot recommend Andrew enough, with his traditional Scottish get up, fantastic humour, his engaging nature and his ability to personalise your day to you… I mean, what more could you want?! Thanks for making our elopement so wonderful Andrew, we think you’re fab.

Skye & Jordan Stewart

★★★★★

This guy rocks ! We recently got married at Oran Mor in Glasgow on 08/08/24 and we're lucky enough to have Andrew as our Celebrant/hype man. Andrew was recommended to us by our photographer (Dave Fallon) and we knew from our first email exchange and zoom call that he was the man for us. The conversation flowed so easily, a lot of laughs and by the end of the call we felt like we had known Andrew for years and was our pal!

Along with our monthly count downs that Andrew sent us via email (which was such a lovely touch) we also arranged to meet up with him in Milnathort at his coffee shop. We spent the full morning chatting absolute nonsense over breakfast & coffee before finally getting down to the nitty gritty - The Wedding!!

Fast forward to the wedding and all we can say is WOW. Andrew done an absolutely phenomenal job with the ceremony. He captured our story PERFECTLY. All of our guests loved him and made comment on what a brilliant job he did. We did a not so traditional quaich (pint of pepsi max and a pint of Tennant's) before tying the knot! The freshly tied knot may or may not have accidentally caught fire on the signing table which was absolutely hilarious and just added to the ceremony.

If we can give one piece of advice, book Andrew NOW. You won't regret it and we can't recommend him enough.

Hannah Gillen

★★★★★

We booked Andrew for our wedding in June and it was the best decision ever! He was so attentive down to emailing monthly countdowns in the run up to the day which was just such a lovely touch!

We had multiple calls and even an in person lunch with Andrew prior to the big day to chat through the service, our story and how was wanted the day to plan out and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Everyone raved about the service, the perfect balance of fun and serious which matched our personalities so well.

Andrew was also an amazing influence on the day keeping everyone calm and informed and really knows weddings inside out. He really works with your other suppliers to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Picking a celebrant can be a minefield but I would recommend Andrew to anybody! You will not regret it

Kimberly Gray

★★★★★

Where to even start! Every time we spoke to Andrew he made us feel less stressed and excited about our big day…. Which says a lot considering just how stressful wedding planning is. His monthly updates and passion for what he does showed that our wedding was important to him aswell as us and I will always be grateful for that. Also always a good thing when most of your suppliers comment on remembering ceremonies he has done that they have been a part of and our dog chaperone actually commented “I had a wedding with him before and it was the best ceremony I’ve been to, even better than my own!” We can’t thank you enough Andrew xxx

Emma Lucia Whiteman

★★★★★

We literally refused to consider anyone else for our secret elopement. We knew we wanted the ceremony to be fun and relaxed, and Andrew has the patter to deliver just that. From our first meeting to saying goodbye we were doubled up (evidenced below!).

Andrew totally personalised our ceremony too, and was happy to include daft jokes, memorials and all sorts.

As if Andrew himself wasn’t enough, he recommended a photographer for us who would match our style and personalities. The whole ceremony we were able to laugh like old friends and we wouldn’t change a single second.

Claire McGurk

★★★★★

Best celebrant there is! Brilliant ceremony and one we will never forget! Neither will our guests! We love you Andrew! X

Caitlin Mooney

★★★★★

We've been thinking of how to sum up Andrew and honestly, there are too many words. The guy is an absolute legend!

After getting engaged at the end of February '24, I went looking for celebrants. Andrew was one of the first names that popped up, we watched a video on his website and knew as soon as we heard his dulcet tones we needed him on board.

He was fast to respond to my email and a zoom call was set up. We couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear the whole call. Then we met at his wee cafe in Milnthort and we felt so relaxed in his presence.

We hadn't told anyone we were engaged, nevermind getting married (other than those who were in attendance) and Andrew kept tight lipped and fully respected our decision.

Leading up to the day we had those lovely little countdown emails that reassured me he was thinking of us.

3 months later we were meeting him at our venue and ready to get married! He told our story so beautifully, full of laughs and good vibes. While only knowing us 3 months, it felt like he knew us our whole relationship. Our guests are still mentioning how wonderful he is and how he was "just perfect" for us.

If you are still looking for a celebrant, stop right now as this is your guy!!!

The Fishers

★★★★★

Oh what a guy!!!! Tam and I have both loved every second we’ve spent with Andrew in the build up to our wedding. The ceremony last week was perfect and although our ceremony was small and intimate it was delivered with absolute perfection and captured ‘our story’ brilliantly. From our first zoom, to meeting in person, communication throughout was fab and I’ll miss our monthly countdowns now. Don’t hesitate to choose Andrew as your wedding celebrant I promise you that you will have the ceremony you’ve always dreamt of with him. Thank you Andrew for being such a huge part of ours. Love The Fishers xx