A wedding is a tradition in and of itself, but within a wedding there are many opportunities for a couple to connect to their history, heritage, family, and values. We’re excited about our new series, Wedding Traditions, where real brides and grooms share the traditions they included in their big day, and what the tradition means to them.
Says bride, Hollis: “Even though we can trace our lineage back to Charlemagne, we are direct descendants of the [somewhat infamous] Johnston(e) clan of Annandale, Scotland, known for its exceptional cattle & horse thievery!
I always knew that I wanted to incorporate my Scottish heritage in my wedding one day, and it seemed to be a natural choice to use the Johnston clan tartan throughout – from the flower girl’s sashes and ring bearers’ bowties & pillows, to the table runners on our dueling single malt Scotch bars at the reception. The runners were actually two scarves in the Johnston tartan – one of which was found on my parents’ honeymoon in Scotland in the early 80’s, and the other we purchased on a family trip there 4 years ago. As far as the Scotch bars go, my grandfather collected single malt on his trips to Scotland (accumulating a cache of more than 1000 bottles, many of which are not available outside of the country), and we used several of his bottles for the bars at the reception. Needless to say, those were a big hit!
In the spirit of Scottish traditions, we couldn’t leave out bagpipes. In lieu of just one bagpiper, we decided to have both bagpipes and drums for the ceremony. Palmetto Pipes & Drums, friends of my dad who have played for years at the Tartan Ball in Columbia, played in the style of a “mini” military tattoo, which was truly an amazing experience. “
Did you include any meaningful traditions in your wedding? Send us a pic and a paragraph at HELLO@SNIPPETANDINK.COM.
