Everyone remembers the secret wedding scene from Brave Heart where William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson, says to his bride to be “I will love you my whole life, you and no other.”
The priest then binds their hands with a strip of cloth, performing an old Scottish tradition called handfasting.
This is where the term tying the knot comes from, and it is still practiced today along with several other beautiful Scottish wedding traditions.
The global pandemic forced many couples who had dreamed of a destination wedding in Scotland to make new plans for a later date at a local venue.
To add Scottish touches to their wedding at home, couples turned to online shopping.
One family-owned business that was quick to transition to online sales in response to this need was The Scottish Shoppe in Calgary. This year it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Jim Osborne, the owner since 1996, has been a galvanizing force in the St. Andrew-Caledonian Society, The Calgary Burns Club, and has participated as a vendor at the Spruce Meadows North American show jumping tournament since its inception.
With deep connections throughout Alberta’s Celtic Community, it was an exciting evolution of the store to see customers from all over the world placing orders for Grocery & Confectionary products, Kilts & Accessories, as well as traditional wedding items.
Here are five popular Scottish wedding items that can be found at The Scottish Shoppe:
- The Kilt is one of the most identifiable features of a proper Scottish Wedding. The Scottish Shoppe has access to a staggering catalog of traditional and modern family Tartans for custom-built Kilts as well as a selection of rental Kilts.
- Celtic Wedding Bands made in an array of Celtic Knot designs symbolize the circle of life and the interconnection of all things.
- The Quaich. Also called “the loving cup,” a Quaich is a small bowl with two handles that the Bride and Groom use to share a dram of whisky, demonstrating their mutual commitment to share a life together.
- The Luckenbooth is a romantic symbol comprising a single or two intertwined hearts topped with a crown and embellished with a jewel. This is a gift a man gives to the woman he loves when he asks her to marry him. It offers both she and her firstborn child protection and prosperity.
- A Scottish Thistle for the bridal bouquet is a symbol of good luck. In the absence of a natural flower, however, the bride can wear jewelry featuring the Thistle.
For Albertans planning weddings at home this year, The Malcolm Hotel is a stunning venue surrounded by the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the jaw-droppingly beautiful destination of Canmore, Alberta. It is the perfect place to tie the knot with the look and feel of a modern-day Scottish Castle offering event services of exceptional quality.
