Scotland is in your blood and you want to plan a true Highland Wedding?

Vows
There are traditional Gaelic vows, or you can choose the English translations. Whatever you decide, there's no wrong way to say "I love you," "Tha gaol agam ort."

Bóid pòsaidh anns a' Ghàidhlig

Tha mise <ainm> a-nis 'gad ghabhail-sa <ainm> gu bhith 'nam chéile phòsda. Ann am fianais Dhé 's na tha seo de fhianaisean tha mise a' gealltainn a bhith 'nam fhear pòsda dìleas gràdhach agus tairis dhuitsa, cho fad's a bhios an dìthis againn beò.

Tha mise <ainm> a-nis 'gad ghabhail-sa <ainm> gu bhith 'nam chéile pòsda. Ann am fianais Dhé 's na tha seo de fhianaisean tha mise a' gealltainn a bhith 'nam bhean phòsda dhìleas ghràdhach agus thairis dhuitsa, cho fad's a bhios an dìthis againn beò.

... dhuitsa, gus an dèan Dia leis a' bhàs ar dealachadh.

I, <name> now take you <name> to be my wife. In the presence of God and before these witnesses I promise to be a loving, faithful and loyal husband to you, for as long as we both shall live.

I, <name> now take you <name> to be my husband. In the presence of God and before these witnesses I promise to be a loving, faithful and loyal wife to you, for as long as we both shall live.

... to you, until God shall separate us by death

At the beginning of the ceremony, the father of the bride might also give her away with the words, "Ma tha ise deònach, tha mise ro-dheònach, agus mura bi sin mar sin, cha bhi seo mar seo," which means, "If she is willing, I am very willing and if that weren't so, then this wouldn't be so."

Traditional Dress
The bride's traditional white is complemented by the groom's full Highland regalia. Don't show up at the altar without your Sporran, guys!

The Scottish bride may wear white in a traditional or contemporary style, while for this formal occasion, the groom wears full Highland regalia, including kilt, kilt jacket, and Sporran. There are a number of sites on the internet to explore if you are looking for kilt makers and accessories.

• http://www.zebra.co.uk/mackay/
• http://www.kilts.co.uk/tartan/traditional-highland-dress.html
• http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Anneke_Millar_Kilt_Maker/
• http://members.aol.com/ccckilt/ccc.html

Music
You may choose to have a piper march you down the aisle, or select some traditional Gaelic hymns. The tune "Highland Wedding" is a must!

"Amazing Grace," although not Scottish, is a popular tune for weddings. "M…airi's Wedding," is an old favorite as well, and was recorded by the popular Cape Breton group The Rankin Family. You can hear the pipe tune "Highland Wedding" on the web at this http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~craig/weddings.html Scottish Wedding resource page.

After the ceremony, the wedding party may be met by pipers at the church door. which, playing the fine tune Highland Wedding, led the procession home to the wedding breakfast. The bride and groom planning a traditional Scottish wedding might wish to learn some traditional dances for the reception, such as a Scots foursome reel for the bride, groom, best man, and maid of honor.

Jewelry
This is the land of the Eternal Knot, so you can choose wedding rings that are distinctively Celtic.

Although we don't know what early Celtic artists had in mind when creating the interlacing knotwork art we admire today, the symbolism of these unending knot designs is clear. Gold rings with continuous Celtic knotwork patterns are popular as either engagement rings or wedding rings.

The Luckenbooth brooch originated in the early 1900's or earlier, and is used as a love token or engagement gift. The brooch design includes two intertwined hearts to symbolize love, and a crown to represent loyalty. These brooches got their name because they were often sold from "locked booths" in the jewelry district of Edinburgh.

You can find out more about Scottish jewelry on the web:

• http://www.gaelsong.com/pages/fsets/holiday2.html

• http://www.gaelsong.com/pages/fsets/f005B.html

• http://www.thingzoz.com/celtic/index.htm

• http://scotia.home.mindspring.com/rings.html