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Writer's pictureDaragh Doyle

Rituals for your wedding ceremony in Ireland

Updated: Apr 1, 2023


What do I include in my non church Wedding ceremony in Ireland?


A couple will normally choose two to three ritual’s for their non church Wedding Ceremony in Ireland.


In this blog I outline the rituals which are popular with couples for their Civil/Interfaith/Spiritual Wedding ceremony in Ireland.



THE REMEMBRANCE CANDLE




Most couples will have been touched by bereavement of some form in their lives, sometimes very close relatives.The lighting of a remembrance candle close to the beginning of the Ceremony can be very powerful, and can create a lovely energy, as we invite deceased relatives and friends to be with us in spirit for the ceremony, and take a moment to remember them in our own hearts and minds.



The Unity Candle



Daragh Doyle Wedding Celebrant & Registered Solemniser preparing the Unity Candle Ceremony at the Adare Manor in Limerick.



The Unity candle is a very popular choice for couples, with 90 percent of couples choosing the unity candle.


The couple will light the individual candles representing their lives as individuals and as a couple.


Later in the ceremony after the couple are married, they take the lights from the individual candles, and two lights become one, representing the couple's future married life together.


The unity candle is often presented in beautiful floral arrangements and is the centerpiece of the ceremony table.



Below is the Unity candle at the rustic Markree Castle Sligo in October 2022


The Romantic Time Capsule Ceremony



The Couple write love letters to each other and the letters are then sealed in a box together with a bottle of Wine ( Or another bottle of your choice)


The idea is that the box is displayed in a prominent place in the couples home.


The time capsule is to be opened on the couples 5th Wedding anniversary, read the letters, drink the wine, reminding themselves of the reasons they fell in love, and their wedding day.






CELTIC HANDFASTING



Daragh Doyle Celebrant & Solemniser performing the handfasting ritual at the K Club in Kildare in August 2022









Handfasting is an old Celtic tradition and is a popular choice for Civil Wedding Ceremony in Ireland.


It’s also a great way to involve family & friends by way of placing the various ribbons on the couples hands and tying the knot.



Below is the colour chart for the various ribbons and what they represent, the couple normally choose three:


Red: passion, strength, lust, fertility Orange: encouragement, attraction, kindness, plenty Yellow : Charm, confidence, joy Green: finances, fertility, charity, prosperity, health Blue : tranquility, patience, devotion, sincerity Purple: Power, piety, sanctity, sentimentality Black: strength, wisdom, vision, success White: purity, concentration, meditation, peace Gray: neutrality, canceling, balance Pink: unity, honor, truth, romance, happiness Brown: earth, grounding, talent, telepathy, home Silver: treasure, values, creativity, inspiration Gold: energy, wealth, intelligence, longevity




The Rose Ceremony

The couple swap roses after their Wedding Vows are complete. The ideal is they plant roses or keep roses somewhere in their home. In difficult times, and if words

cannot be found, one of the couple get a rose and present it to the other, signifying im sorry,


In the photo’s below, Daragh Doyle Wedding Celebrant & Registered Solemniser performing the Rose Ceremony with Make & Sandra at their Wedding at the Knockranny Park Hotel, Westport, Co Mayo in June 2022.







The Sand Ceremony


Intermingling the grains of sand makes a unique design.


This is a great way to involve family particularly if the couple have children.


The Children can also have containers of sand to pour.


Some couples like to use different coloured sands.


Some couples like to use sand from branches that are important to them, that may spend a lot of time walking on.


Below is the Sand Ceremony for Geard’s non-denominational church in Drogheda in July 2022.





I provide full details on the above rituals, and lots of other options for rituals, after confirmation of booking.


Daragh


Daragh Doyle

Wedding Celebrant & Solemniser


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