Irish Wedding Checklist

Purchase Claddagh or Celtic Rings

Choose and order your wedding rings. Claddagh rings (love, loyalty and friendship) and Celtic knotwork bands are the traditional Irish choices. Check whether your family has an heirloom Claddagh that could be passed on. If you are commissioning custom knotwork rings, allow extra lead time, because skilled Irish goldsmiths are in demand.

Prepare Handfasting Cords

If you want handfasting in your ceremony, choose and prepare the cords or ribbons. Three to five cords in colours that mean something to you are typical, and natural fibres such as linen, silk and wool suit the tradition. Some families braid the cords together as a ritual in the weeks before the wedding.

Obtain Lucky Horseshoe

Buy or decorate a lucky horseshoe for the bride. It can be a real iron horseshoe, scrubbed clean and tied with white ribbon, or a decorative porcelain or fabric one. It must be presented or carried with the open end upward, 'so the luck stays in.' It is often presented at the church door by a young family member.

Source Irish Lace

Find a piece of authentic or reproduction Irish lace to include in the bridal outfit. The five main regional types are Carrickmacross, Limerick, Kenmare, Youghal and Clones. Look first for family heirloom lace, since a grandparent's veil or handkerchief makes the most meaningful 'something old.' Order from specialist lacemakers or heritage suppliers well in advance.

Book Irish Musicians and Ceili Band

Hire a traditional Irish musician (a harpist, piper or tin whistle player) for the ceremony prelude and recessional, and a ceili band or Irish folk group for the reception. The best ceili bands book up many months ahead, especially for summer and autumn dates. Check that the band can also play contemporary songs for guests who want modern music alongside the traditional sets.

Select Irish Blessing

Choose a traditional Irish blessing for the ceremony. The most familiar is 'May the road rise up to meet you' (Go n-éirí an bóthar leat), but there are many variants. Decide who will read it, whether the priest or celebrant, a family elder or another reader, and whether to include the Irish (Gaeilge) original alongside the English translation.

Plan Irish Wedding Menu

Work with the caterer on a menu that reflects Irish food culture: roast lamb or beef, Atlantic salmon, colcannon (mashed potato with butter, spring onion or cabbage), champ, soda bread, and a traditional fruit wedding cake with marzipan and royal icing. You could add an Irish whiskey bar and Irish craft beers alongside the standard bar. If you want the traditional cake style, check that the caterer is familiar with it.

Arrange Ceili Dance Instruction

Confirm with the band, or with a separate caller, that ceili instruction will be given before each set at the reception. A caller who can teach the Siege of Ennis, the Walls of Limerick and the Gay Gordons to guests who have never ceili danced is essential if you want everyone to join in. If the band does not provide a caller, book one separately.

Find Oathing Stone (if desired)

If you want the oathing stone ritual as part of handfasting, find a stone that means something to you, from a family farm, an Irish beach, a river you know well, or another place that matters to you. A smooth, palm-sized stone works best. Some couples have the stone engraved with the wedding date after the ceremony and keep it as a permanent keepsake.

Confirm Legal Requirements

In Ireland, couples must give at least three months' notice to a registered solemniser before the ceremony date, as required under the Civil Registration Act 2004. For civil ceremonies this is done through the HSE, and for religious ceremonies through the relevant church authority. If you are marrying abroad and having the marriage recognised in Ireland (or the other way round), confirm the legal requirements of both countries with a solicitor well in advance.