Traditions
Aside from the chimes of the church bells in many cultures it has been a belief that sound disperses evil or negative spirits. In ceremonies of old in Ireland, the congregation were given small bells to ring during the marriage rites.
In ancient Greece the horseshoe was thought similar to the crescent moon and they believed that it was a fertility symbol.
It was very common for a Gold Claddagh Ring to be used at an Irish wedding, most often by the Groom. The ring is faced out prior to the wedding and reversed to face inwards after the wedding, indicating that the bearer is taken forever!
A very old tradition that was practiced in Ireland and Scotland and a great Romany tradition. In Scotland the couple would have to jump over the broom which was leaned across the doorway of their new home.
Irish families sometimes have family members who are in pipe bands. So it’s not unusual for them be asked at a wedding to pipe for the ceremony or at dinner.