Wedding kilt -- is pleating to the sett more appropriate?

[The Wizard of BC]

While pleating to the stripe is nicknamed "military pleating' that is only because many military kilts are pleated that way. Yes, many pipe bands also pleat their kilts to stripe. Probably due to the military influence.

Pleating to the Sett is nicknamed "civilian pleating" and we think was a later development.

But both are just a valid as the other. You really should not read anymore into it than a way of folding fabric.

Some people like one look over the other. It is just personal preference.

And yes, 5.5" may appear to be small but is not out of the normal range. Do you know the weight of your fabric. In general the lighter weight fabrics will have a smaller sett for a given Tartan. The MacLeod of Lewis fabrics I have in my shop for kilts have a Sett size of around 6" for 16oz wool. The average Sett size for most fabrics is between 5.5 inches and 6.5 inches