Monthly Archives: March 2021

Irish Wedding Traditions

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Since March 17 is Saint Patrick Day, in this month’s post I thought it would be a good time to discuss the wedding traditions of Ireland.  Maybe a destination wedding is planned to a magical castle in Ireland or maybe the bride or the groom have an Irish ancestors in the family tree and which to honor their heritage, here are a few ideas and suggestions for incorporating Irish wedding traditions.

Handfasting

Perhaps one of the oldest Celtic wedding traditions is handfasting which is when a bridal couple join hands and a rope or cord is tied around their wrists to represent that they are united in marriage.  Handfasting has recently become popular for modern weddings and the ritual can be performed at any time during the wedding ceremony.  Today, an easy search on Goggle will result in numerous websites explaining handfasting and also sources for purchasing customized ropes and cords. 

Claddagh ring

Another Irish tradition is the Claddagh ring and, although there are many myths and legends pertaining to the ring, it has been said that it was originally produced in the small village of Claddagh near Galway located on the west coast of Ireland since the 1700s (hence the name).  The ring has come to traditionally symbolizes love, loyalty and friendship; it features two hands holding a heart with a crown.

Although the Claddagh ring can be sometimes given to someone in friendship, it is most often given as an engagement or wedding ring.  Sometimes an Irish mother will pass on the ring when their daughter reaches a significant age, such as a 21st birthday.  If used for an engagement or wedding, in the case on an engagement the ring is worn with the heart facing away and after the wedding it usually changed to face towards the wearer indicating that their heart is taken in marriage.

The Claddagh design can also be incorporated into other items for a wedding and shown below is a photo of a unique wedding cake topper;
this idea would be a great way to honor an Irish heritage

Shamrock

The shamrock, besides bringing good luck to those that find one, has become a symbol of Ireland and in fact it is considered the national flower.  The shamrock (trifolium dubium) it is a type of clover with a very distinctive three leaves and it has been said that St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland) used a shamrock in his Christian teachings as a symbol to represent the Holy Trinity.

The photos below show shamrocks used for a bridal bouquet and a boutonniere

Shamrocks in a variety of forms could be used for a wedding and shown below is a shamrock necklace which would be perfect for a bridesmaids or flower girl gift but a shamrock charm could also be attached to a bridal bouquet or a bridal garter in a lucky shade of green.

The photo below shows a wedding cake decorated with shamrocks
(maybe the toasting glasses are from Waterford,
a glassware company long associated with Ireland)

Irish linen and lace

Speaking of table linens, Ireland is known for their fine linen and lace products.  The cloth for the table linens is made from flax which had been initially grown exclusively in Ireland but in recent years much of the flax has been sourced from Europe or Asia.  Regardless of where the yarn is produced, if the linen product is woven in Ireland from 100% flax fibres it warrants the Irish Linen Guild trademark to signify that is a genuine Irish Linen brand.    

Shown below is an Irish table linen that incorporates a shamrock motif
and it would be perfect for a cake table

Irish lace is another product associated with Ireland, although the industry started in Dublin, there are several different variations of lace patterns that are manufactured in various parts of the country.

A bridal veil made of Irish lace would be lovely to wear with a wedding dress,
it could be another sentimental heirloom to pass onto future generations.

An Irish linen handkerchief trimmed with Irish lace would be a lovely heirloom item to pass onto generations.  A very sentimental idea is for the parents of the bride to purchase an Irish linen handkerchief for her to carry on her wedding day, then saved for later use as a Christening or Baptismal bonnet (converted with a few folds and stiches).

The Irish linen and lace handkerchief shown below
is beautifully embroidered with the bride’s monogram and the Claddagh symbol

Another idea for an Irish linen and lace handkerchief would be as a gift to the mothers of the bride and groom (to wipe away those happy tears!) or for the father of the bride to carry in his suit pocket as her walks his daughter down the aisle.  An Irish linen and lace handkerchief would also make a great gift for the bridesmaids, maybe embroidered with their initials. 

Celtic symbols

The following Celtic symbols are replicated in many different forms that being most often jewelry items.  Any of these items would make a great gift for the bride and the groom or the bridesmaids and ushers. 

Celtic cross

The Celtic cross has its origins during the Middle Ages in Ireland as well as Great Britain and France.  Today, the Celtic cross is often decorated with an interlaced design and features a ringed center.

Shown below is an example of a Celtic cross necklace
that would make a great gift for a bride to wear on her wedding day.

Celtic trinity knot

The Celtic trinity knot is designed in such a way that there is seemingly no beginning or end symbolizes eternity.  The three sections of the knot have been known to represent the Holy Trinity, it is sometimes called the Triquetra. 

Shown below is a pair of Celtic knot cufflinks
that would make a great gift from a bride for her groom to wear on the wedding day.

Celtic heart

The Celtic heart, an example is shown below,
is a stylized version of the Celtic knot and would make a great gift for the bridesmaids.

Shown below is another version of the Celtic heart
is a lovely wedding cake topper

A British Royal Bride – Princess Alexandra of Denmark

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Previously on this blog I featured a post about the British Royal wedding of Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra which took place on March 10, 1863 at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.    Princess Alexandra of Denmark was statuesque in height, slim in weight and very beautiful with an outward dignified appearance.  Later, as Princess of Wales and then Queen Alexandra, she would ultimately influence the fashion style for England during the late Victorian and Edwardian period.  This week’s post will be about Princess Alexandra as a Royal bride and I will discuss what she wore on her wedding day including all the items of her bridal ensemble and jewelry.

Princess Alexandra’s wedding dress and bridal accessories

At the time of the wedding of Prince Albert and Princess Alexandra, the Royal court was still in mourning after the unexpected death of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert the Prince Consort, in December 1861. Although the wedding of the heir apparent to the English throne was a grand occasion that normally called for colorful and elaborate dresses to be wore by the women in attendance, the invited guests wore somber clothing.  The strict rules that dictated the mourning customs of the time meant that the royal court was initially required to wear black and then after a period of time shades of grey, lilac or mauve.  Queen Victoria wore a black dress for the wedding and she continued to wear black for the remainder of her life to honor her deceased husband.

One exception to the mourning custom would be the elaborate white wedding gown worn by the eighteen year old bride, Princess Alexandra of Denmark, which was made by Mrs. James of Belgravia from the finest Spitafields silk satin.  The full skirt had an overlay of four Honiton lace flounces that featured a design that incorporated the symbols of England (roses), Ireland (shamrocks) and Scotland (thistles).  The lace was designed and manufactured by John Tucker and Company of Branscombe near Sidmouth.  Attached to the skirt was a 21 foot train of antique silver moiré which was carried by the bridesmaids on the wedding day.  The dress was also trimmed with orange blossoms and the Princess also wore a white Honiton lace veil that was secured on her head by a wreath of additional orange blossoms and myrtle.  The bridegroom, Prince Albert, wore the uniform of an army general under his Order of the Garter robe on the wedding day.  (Special Note:  Princess Alexandra had originally received a gift of Belgium lace from King Leopold of Belgium which was intended to be used for her wedding dress but Queen Victoria preferred that all the materials for the future bride of the Prince of Wales should be manufactured in Britain)

         

Princess Alexandra and Prince Albert

Princess Alexandra’s wedding dress

Princess Alexandra’s eight bridesmaids wore white silk dresses trimmed with tulle and floral roses; they also wore floral wreaths of roses in their hair.  The British novelist William Thackeray, who attended the wedding, later remarked that the Princess and her bridesmaids reminded him of a fairy tale in which a group of beautiful young ladies were changed into graceful swans.

Princess Alexandra’s eight bridesmaids

Princess Alexandra’s wedding bouquet holder

On her wedding day Princess Alexandra carried a bridal bouquet of white roses, lilies of the valley, orchids and the traditional sprig of myrtle.  The elaborate bouquet holder featured an upper section of rock crystal carved into a cone shape to hold the flowers.  The crystal cone was embellished with diamonds, emeralds, pink coral and pearls.  In honor of the Princess’ royal status, the middle section featured a coronet with a gold chain decorated with pearls and a gold and pearl studded ring to wear on the hand.  Below the coronet is the symbolic trio of white feathers for the Prince of Wales created in diamonds and a monogram “A” for Alexandra made of rubies.  At the bottom of the holder was a small crystal sphere set with more rubies.

The wedding bouquet holder of Princess Alexandra

Princess Alexandra’s wedding jewelry

Princess of Wales diamond and pearl wedding set –

Prince Albert gave his bride a spectacular jewelry set that was presented to the Princess Alexandra on the wedding day.  The wedding set made by Garrard the Royal Jewelers included the diamond Rundell tiara, a diamond and pearl necklace with a matching set of earrings and brooch. The lovely Princess of Wales pearl and diamond necklace features seven medallions featuring large pearls surrounded by diamonds with another pearl and diamond medallion used as a clasp, the three center medallions with pearl drop pendants can be detached and wore as brooches.  The necklace medallions are connected with double rows of diamonds that gently drape when wore around the neck.  After the death of Princess Alexandra (later known as Queen Alexandra) the necklace was inherited by Queen Mary, who passed it onto Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and then Queen Elizabeth II. The matching earrings of the wedding set featured two large pearls surrounded by diamonds, the earrings are currently known as Queen Alexander’s Cluster Earrings.   The matching brooch features one large pearl in the center and two smaller pearls on either side, diamonds surrounded the pearls and three pearl pendants accented with large diamonds can be detached.  The brooch is now known as the Queen Alexandra Triple-drop Brooch and it was passed onto Queen Mary and then later to Queen Elizabeth II.

Princess of Wales diamond and pearl wedding set

The final item in the wedding set is the diamond Rundell Tiara.  The name is something of a curiosity because despite the fact that it was made by Garrard, the Royal Jewelers, Rundell was the name of a former jewelry company that had a Royal Warrant but closed in 1843 twenty years before the Royal wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales.  The other misnomer is that the piece is not a tiara but by definition a coronet because it forms a closed circle.  The base of the piece has two rows of diamonds with ten large pear-shaped diamonds connected with smaller diamonds forming a scroll pattern.  The different components of the piece can be removed, the large diamonds can be worn as brooches, the base can be worn alone or Queen Alexandra sometimes added several diamond star brooches.  After the death of the Queen, the Rundell Tiara was passed to her daughter Princess Victoria and it is possible that the jewels were removed and repurposed into other pieces of jewelry.

Princess Alexandra wearing the complete Rundell Tiara
in a Jubilee portrait by Bassano dated 1887

Princess Alexandra wearing the Rundell Tiara without the diamond scrolls

Princess Alexandra’s opal and diamond set –

Queen Victoria gave her new daughter-in-law, Princess Alexandra, an opal and diamond set as a wedding gift.  The set was made by Garrard and included a cross pendant with three oval-shaped opals, three matching brooches, earrings and a bracelet.  The Princess wore the opal and diamond bracelet on her left arm on her wedding day and on her right arm she wore another opal and diamond bracelet which was a wedding gift from the ladies of Manchester.  (Special Note: During the Victorian Era, opals were thought to be a symbol of bad luck and later the Princess possibly had the set repurposed into other pieces of jewelry but the fate of those items is unknown)

Princess Alexandra’s opal and diamond set
received as a wedding gift from Queen Victoria

Princess Alexandra’s opal and diamond bracelet wore on her wedding day

Princess Alexandra’s bridesmaids bracelet –

Another item that Princess Alexandra received as a wedding gift was a lovely gold bracelet from her bridesmaids that performed as her train bearers.  The bracelet, made by Garrard, featured eight linked blue enameled hinged lockets set with diamond initials for the first name of each bridesmaid.  The lockets opened to reveal hand-painted miniature portraits of each of the eight bridesmaids. (Special Note: Later, on the silver wedding anniversary of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the bridesmaids presented a beautiful silver box to hold the bracelet when it was not being worn)

Princess Alexandra’s Dagmar necklace –

The last item of jewelry that I will discuss was actually one of the first gifts that Princess Alexandra had received shortly after the official announcement of the engagement and before the wedding day.  The Dragmar necklace was a gift from King Frederick VII, the Princess’ grandfather, that she received before leaving Denmark to travel to England.  The magnificent necklace made by the Danish court jeweler, Julius Dideriksen, featured 118 pearls and 2000 diamonds set in gold and arranged in medallions with a large diamond in the center surrounded by scroll work created with more diamonds and connected with jeweled swags.  The Dagmar cross was placed in the center of the necklace and two large pearls on either side of the cross were so valuable they were exhibited at the Great Exhibition in Crystal Palace in 1851.(Historical Note: King Frederick who gave Princess Alexandra the Dragmar necklace would later die in November 1863 a few months after her wedding and Princess Alexandra’s father would become King Christian IX)

The source of the necklace’s name and the most remarkable element of the elaborate necklace is the Dagmar Cross.  The story behind the necklace is that Queen Dagmar was the wife of King Waldermar of Denmark and when she died in 1212 she was buried with a pectoral cross on her chest.  When the tomb was opened in 1690, the cross was removed and is now one of the most precious relics of Denmark.  For centuries it had become a tradition that when a Danish Princess is married she is given a duplicate of the Dagmar Cross.

The centerpiece of the necklace created for Prince Alexandra is a cloisonné enameled Byzantine gold cross that is a duplicate of Queen Dagmar’s cross and it has been documented that the cross held a small piece from the original cross and a piece of silk fabric from King Canute’s grave.

Princess Alexandra’s Dagmar Necklace

The Dagmar Cross

The Dagmar necklace was a very difficult piece of jewelry to wear because the diamond and pearl swags did not always lay flat.  Princess Alexandra (later Queen Alexandra) was known for layering on her jewelry and more was … well, more!!  Shown in the photo below Queen Alexandra dressed on the coronation day of her husband in 1902, who became known as King Edward VII.  The Dagmar necklace is seen attached to the lower portion of the bodice’s dress.

After the death of Queen Alexandra in 1925, the necklace was passed onto Queen Mary, then Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and eventually to Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.  After it had been passed to Queen Elizabeth II she wore it on a handful of occasions in the 1950s and early 1960s, including during her 1957 state visit to Denmark, each time using it with the two largest pearl pendants and the Dagmar Cross removed.

For more information regarding Princess Alexandra – A Fashion Icon, Please click on the link.