Party with St. Paddy: Wedding Theme Ideas

Ideas and tips for having a wedding on St. Patrick's Day.

Many people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day but do not know why.  In short, Patrick was a man who kidnapped as a teenager and sold into slavery.  During this experience, he worked as a shepherd and eventually found that God gave him peace during his captivity.  After escaping, Patrick became a priest and began converting nonbelievers into Christians in Ireland.  Because of his engaging personality, Patrick had great success converting people.  It is aid that Patrick used the three leaf clover in some of his sermons to teach the people about the Holy Trinity.  The premise of the sermon was to show the shamrock and explain how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could exist as three separate elements within the same entity.  Because of his unique use of the shamrock, it has become one of the symbols most associated with Patrick.  Another one of the examples, Patrick used in his teaching was the use of the Leprechaun. 

The Irish people feared the mythical Leprechaun because he hid from humans; however, if you found one, he would bless you with the gift of a pot of gold.  Patrick used the mythology basis and used the concept of the Leprechaun as a symbol of God.  In this example, Patrick explained that like the Leprechaun, God is also hidden from our view; however, he also bestows riches to those that follow him.    

In the 17th century, people began celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th which is the date of his death.  Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the world as people eat, drink, and wish each other the “luck of the Irish.”  What a great day to have a wedding!

Having a St. Patrick’s Day wedding is easy.  Start by creating invitations with using a splash of green accompanied by the image of the Celtic cross, Celtic love knot, or maybe the image of the Claddagh ring.  Speaking of which, if you are having a St. Patrick’s Day wedding, consider buying wedding bands with some type of Claddagh inset. 

Obviously, the color for this day includes green.  Alfred Angelo has a line of wedding gowns that include color into the design.  Most of the styles in this collection incorporate the color by using a sash; however, one style (1516) makes a bold statement with the color inset into the back of the dress and in the train.   This gives the bride the opportunity to showcase white while adding a splash of color to the gown.  

One way to incorporate an Irish wedding custom is to perform a ritual known as handfasting.  On his website, BellaOnline.com, Tony King describes the custom as:  “the wrists of the couple are bound together with a ribbon or cord. Each partner holds the hands of the other---right hand to right hand, left hand to left---their wrists crossed. The ribbon is wound around the wrists over the top of one and under and around the other, thus creating the infinity symbol. It is said that this ritual is the origin of the term “tying the knot.” The vows are spoken and the celebration commenced.”

For the reception, use white table clothes with a smaller dark green cloth laid over the white.  This has an elegant look while keeping the Irish theme.  For the centerpieces, consider using small terracotta pots filled with gold chocolate coins and shamrock confetti.  Use shamrock place cards that can double as favors or small brass bells with little shamrocks on top.  It is well known that the Irish have come up with interesting ways of wishing people well.  Be sure to scour the internet for some ideas on traditional Irish toasts.  Some of my favorites include: May your home always be too small to hold all your friends and may you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies and quick to make friends. And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.  After finding your sayings, display each on in a frame and place a different frame on every table.  As part of the toasts, have one member from each table read the saying in the frame.

If you really want to keep with the theme, your feast could include corned beef and cabbage but that just doesn’t scream wedding to me.  Anyway, my menu is anything that makes you happy.  For drinks, you may want to forgo a traditional full bar in favor of some beer kegs which seem to fit the day a little better.  It’s been noted that the beer consumption in Ireland, is greater on St. Patrick’s Day than on any other day of the year! 

For the cakes, a few touches of greenery will go along way.  You can add whimsical shamrocks around the base.  Try to finding a little leprechaun to top the cake.  This will be unique and will be keeping with the theme.    After the meal, don’t forget the Irish coffee.  This is a great way to end the meal.

In years past, the Catholic Church allowed people to take a break from the Lenten fasting and party on this one day.  This tradition continues still today.  So when hosting a St. Patrick’s Day wedding you goal should be to create a party atmosphere.  You may want to include lots of beer and fun festive Irish music.  O.k. maybe the Irish music may be a stretch but you do want to get the party moving.  Find an engaging DJ or band that has a great persona and can get any crowd moving.

Hopefully through this, you too, will be inspired by the luck of the Irish.

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