Scottish Weddings: Traditions & Customs Explained

While wedding trends of late have been inspired by the feeling of anything goes, for many couples – particularly those marrying across cultures – incorporating traditions is still important, and this is especially true for Scottish weddings.

With its vibrant mix of Celtic, European and Nordic influences, Scotland’s heritage is rich and varied, and while most of us recognise its most iconic cultural symbols, including tartan, bagpipes and thistles, not all of us understand the meaning behind these Scottish wedding traditions and why they’re an important part of Scottish culture. That’s why we enlisted those in the know to explain more about Scottish wedding traditions and customs.

Cultural traditions at weddings of all kinds are important because they celebrate a person’s heritage and create a shared sense of joy and connection with friends and family, as well as a feeling of belonging.

“The enduring charm and appeal of traditional Scottish weddings lies in their ability to weave together history, emotional connection and cultural identity,” says Fiona Jones, events manager at Cluny Castle in Aberdeenshire.

“By choosing to incorporate specific Scottish traditions and blending them with modern touches, couples can personalise their celebrations to reflect their own story. That in itself creates an unforgettable experience for them and their guests,” she adds.

Scottish Weddings: What are Scottish Wedding Traditions?

From handfasting ceremonies to ceilidhs, to what to wear to a Scottish wedding, here’s everything you need to know about incorporating different Scottish wedding traditions into your big day

• Pre-Wedding Traditions
• Scottish Wedding Ceremony Traditions
• Scottish Reception Traditions
• Scottish Wedding Attire
• Modern Scottish Weddings

Pre-Wedding Traditions

There are lots of time-honoured traditions that couples undertake before tying the knot in weddings all around the world – things like not seeing each other the night before the ceremony, the art of mehndi, and hair-combing ceremonies in China – but how do Scottish couples prepare themselves for the main event?

“Most Scottish couples keep the old-fashioned tradition of not seeing one another before the ceremony, despite many of my US clients choosing to have a first look,” reveals wedding planner Louize Hollywood.

Other more historical pre-ceremony wedding traditions include a ceremonial foot-washing for the bride – traditionally performed by an older, married woman within the bridal party – to symbolise good luck and fortune. It's an old tradition not undertaken so much these days, but still exists.

Elsewhere, popular Highland wedding traditions once included ‘creeling’ – where the groom would carry a large basket (or creel) on his back filled with stones around his village, only able to stop when the bride emerged from her house to give him a kiss.

This was said to symbolise her willingness to share his future burdens, and in some modern interpretations, a basket is held at the church exit where the bride removes the stones to signify her 'acceptance' of marital responsibilities.

Scottish Wedding Ceremony Traditions

From traditional to bespoke, there are many different ways that couples can make their commitment to each other, whether they choose traditional Scottish wedding vows or a symbolic act such as handfasting.

But what is handfasting at a Scottish wedding? Handfasting is one of the most popular traditions at Scottish wedding ceremonies – it’s an ancient Celtic marriage ritual that involves wrapping cord, ribbon or cloth around your hands to symbolise the binding of your union. It’s also thought to be where the expression ‘tying the knot’ came from.

“Historically, handfasting signified a couple’s intention to marry and their commitment to one another; later it became legally binding,” says Fiona. “Nowadays, however, handfasting is more of a ceremonial demonstration of a couple’s union in marriage.

“Another ancient and symbolic Scottish ceremony addition is the quaich wedding tradition. A quaich is a two-handled drinking cup or bowl that’s also sometimes known as ‘the loving cup’,” says Fiona. “When a couple share a drink (traditionally single-malt whisky) from the quaich as their first drink of the marriage, it symbolises love and trust and the blending of two families.”

This part of the service usually takes place after the couple have said their vows or after the signing of the papers.

When it comes to your vows, civil ceremonies and celebrant-led ceremonies can be customised to a greater extent compared to religious ones, and while there is some legally required wording and declarations, you can incorporate traditional Celtic and Scottish wedding vows or blessings into your service to tell the story of both your relationship and family histories.

In most cases, your celebrant or registrar will be able to advise more on the personalisation you can make, these might also include other Scottish traditions such as lighting a candle, Scottish wedding blessings or offering an oath over a wedding stone.

Scottish Reception Traditions

Probably one of the most iconic and obvious wedding customs is to have Scottish wedding bagpipes – a tradition that holds a special place in the heart of most Scots.

They can be played to welcome guests as they arrive at the ceremony, during the signing of the register and even as the bride walks down the aisle, but a firm favourite is welcoming the couple to their wedding breakfast, often to the sound of traditional Scottish wedding songs like Mairi’s Wedding, Scotland the Brave and The Rowan Tree which the couple would have chosen beforehand.

“Traditionally, once the piper has played the couple into dinner and they’ve taken their seat at the top table, the bride will offer them a dram, to which the piper will then perform a toast to the newlyweds,” explains Fiona. “The groom will then toast the piper before they pipe their way out of the room.”

And while we’re on the subject of music and entertainment, it’s almost impossible to not have a true Scottish wedding without a ceilidh – “by far the most fun and entertaining of Scottish wedding traditions,” says Fiona.

Scottish ceilidh dancing is focused heavily on folk music and involves being led by a ‘caller’ as a live band plays in the background.

“A ceilidh is a guaranteed way to get everyone up on the dancefloor and the most wonderful thing about it is, even if you have no clue at all about what you’re supposed to be doing, that is all part of the fun,” smiles Fiona.

When it comes to Scottish wedding food and drink, this is where the country really comes into its own. The Scottish seasons each bring very particular produce to the table, which you can take full advantage of as a starting point for your wedding breakfast.

“Our caterers craft dishes using only the best seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients, including local delicacies like haggis, Cullen Skink (a creamy haddock and potato soup), beautiful fresh smoked salmon, the finest Scottish beef and Cranachan (a traditional Scottish dessert) – all of which can be served alongside modern favourites,” reveals Fiona.

Scottish Wedding Attire

What do Scots wear at weddings? And what do you wear if you’ve been invited to a Scottish wedding?

“One of the most recognisable aspects of traditional Scottish weddings would have to be the kilts worn by the groom and groomsmen,” says Fiona. “Crafted from tartan fabric, it represents a specific clan or region that symbolises not just national pride but also family heritage.”

But are kilts required at Scottish weddings, particularly if you’re not Scottish yourself? “No,” suggests Fiona. “Though I’m often asked if it would be considered culturally inappropriate to wear a kilt if you’re not yourself from Scotland, however, no true Scot would view one of their wedding guests wearing a kilt as cultural appropriation. If anything, we see it as cultural appreciation!

“It’s hard not to embrace the magic of wearing a kilt,” she adds.

And according to Louize, kilts at weddings are still a hugely popular choice for the groomsmen: “Though suits are starting to make more of an appearance at Scottish weddings, the highest proportion are still wearing kilts,” she reveals.

Most will also recognise thistles as playing a role in Scottish weddings, whether that’s as a buttonhole, in your bridesmaids’ bouquets or flower crowns, or incorporated into the bridal bouquet, centrepieces or wedding cake.

As well as being the national flower of Scotland, thistles are said to symbolise bravery, loyalty and resilience and they pair especially well with roses, ranunculi, heather (another bloom associated with Scottish heritage thanks to its abundance on the peatlands) and greenery such as eucalyptus.

Modern Scottish Weddings

So, how do modern Scottish weddings differ from traditional ones? Like any wedding, there are no hard and fast rules about how your day should look. What it does need to be is a reflection of you as a couple – which means picking and choosing the customs and traditions that work for the two of you.

If you’ve never been one to dream about walking down the aisle to bagpipes but you love the idea of a nod to your Scottish heritage, thistles in your bouquet or a ceilidh at the after-party could be the perfect compromise. Maybe you love the idea of a traditional quaich but aren’t whisky drinkers, in which case, why not choose a sip of something that is more meaningful to you?

Emma and her husband Jonny, who hails from Scotland, celebrated their nuptials at a brewery wedding venue where they live in East London, and chose to have a ceilidh at the reception. "What we planned for our wedding day was very focused on what would make it more fun for everyone," she says. "We've been to friends' weddings in Scotland before and ceilidhs just always get everyone dancing.

"It doesn't matter if you're not a confident dancer – it's just a lot of fun. 

"We had quite a few guests attending who grew up outside of the UK, too, so this felt like a fun tradition to introduce to people. Plus, it was of course a nod to Jonny's heritage – perhaps the only nod we gave – at our London wedding," she adds.

And if you’ve been invited to a Scottish wedding? “Embrace every part of the deeply personal and meaningful customs that have been incorporated into the day, prepare for the weather and make sure you’re wearing comfortable shoes for dancing,” says Louize. “Oh, and don’t be surprised when you get a breakfast roll buffet at 10pm!”

Ready to start planning? Discover the best wedding venues in Scotland here.