Five days after my first Scottish wedding, and I'm still trying to recover. The bridesmaids and bride got up at 7:00 am to begin getting hair and makeup done, and the wedding was not officially over until we left the reception at 2:00 am that evening. The day was incredible, and I was thrilled to find that I knew more people at this wedding than I do at most weddings I've attended in America. People from every part of my time in Scotland last year were there, and it was so much fun to reunite with friends on such a celebratory day. Never a dull moment!
Naturally, I couldn't help observing a few cultural wedding differences:
1) Scottish weddings are loooooong (as already noted above). There was the ceremony, then a brief reception at the church (ours involved Krispy Kreme doughnuts which were painstakingly transported from England), then a brief champagne reception, followed by a massive three course dinner, multiple speeches, and then four hours of dancing. Halfway through the dancing, at about 10:30, was when I began to think I might just collapse from exhaustion. And what would come along just then but a GIANT PIG, a whole roast pig, head and all, being carved up and served to hungry dancers. There had already been such massive amounts of food leading up to this that I just found myself in total shock that anyone could eat a giant slice of pig flesh before heading back onto the dance floor!
2) One of the most obvious differences: the men wear kilts. Laugh if you might, fellow Americans, but I think a smart kilt with a waistcoat is one of the most dapper, dashing things a man can wear. This ensemble also comes complete with a sporran, which is an animal skin purse that many fellows might carry a wee flask in, and a dagger to be worn in the man's sock. It's quite an impressive get-up.
3) True to the Free Church tradition, the wedding ceremony involved congregational singing of several acapella psalms, which sounded incredible with 300 guests echoing behind us. I say behind us, because in Scottish weddings, the wedding party all turns their back to the guests and faces the minister instead. It becomes very tempting to peer over your shoulder and see the massive crowd behind you!
4) The reception involves quite a few speeches....not just small wedding toasts, but carefully written speeches. Traditionally I believe these are given by the bride's father, the groom's father, the best man, and the groom himself, although in this wedding, a speech by the maid of honor was given as well. In typical Scottish fashion, these involve quite a few sarcastic jokes or embarrassing stories at the expense of the bride and groom, but also feature moving tributes, heartfelt advice, and a great deal of gratitude.
5) The dancing. How do I even begin to describe it? This portion is known as the ceilidh (pronounced like kay-lee), and everyone is involved, from young kids to grandparents. If you've ever been contra dancing, this is pretty similar....traditional Scottish dancing steps done with a partner, often in circular or linear patterns. The amazing thing is, everyone knows these dances. The band would just call out a name, such as "Strip the Willow" or "The Dashing White Sergeant," and nothing more would be explained or called out...the whole crowd (minus the American guests) knew all the steps, and eagerly joined in. It was such good fun, in particular because everyone was so enthusiastically involved. I tried to stay with Scottish partners as much as possible since I had no idea what I was doing!
6) At the end of the night (about 1:30 AM) we all gathered round in two huge circles surrounding the bride and groom, and all linked arms as we sang "Auld Lang Syne." I know this is more of a New Year's song in the States, but in Scotland, it's used in many different contexts, and always ends a big ceilidh. It was a moment I'll never forget... looking around and seeing the joy on everyone's faces as we sang in strong, soaring harmony, surrounding the new couple with an outpouring of joy.
