Advice on Sporran (and maybe othre stuff) for wedding.

[Rob, ClanMacMillan, NM]

Greetings!

I am going to be officiating at my daughter's wedding in August and she has requested that I kilt-up for the occasion. I've not yet worn a kilt during any ministerial function - so this will be a first for me.

Not sure if the wedding will be afternoon or evening but it will definitely not be in the morning.

I hope to purchase a new 8 yard kilt for the occasion (MacMillan Hunting Modern) but we'll see if the funds appear in time (or at all) . If not, I'll probably be wearing my MacMillan Ancient Modern "tank".

I will be wearing my PC + 3-button vest, "tux" shirt, black bow-tie, not sure about belt yet. (As a general rule, I wear a belt with *everything* but I'm going to let her decide on the look once I figure out an appropriate sporran.)

The only sporrans I have are: 1> a small "semi-dress" (black leather, short fur front, three tassels), 2> a Nightstalker nylon (black), and 3> a Nightstalker leather (brown). I'm not sure that any of these are suitable for the level of formality I would like to present.

What would be a good style of sporran to compliment this event and outfit?

Thanks much!

Rob.

[Chas]

I am a fan of the Nightstalker and it is my go to sporran, but on this occasion the small "semi-dress" (black leather, short fur front, three tassels) is your best bet.

Regards

Chas

[artificer]

I will be wearing my PC + 3-button vest, "tux" shirt, black bow-tie, not sure about belt yet. (As a general rule, I wear a belt with *everything* but I'm going to let her decide on the look once I figure out an appropriate sporran.)

The only sporrans I have are: 1> a small "semi-dress" (black leather, short fur front, three tassels), 2> a Nightstalker nylon (black), and 3> a Nightstalker leather (brown). I'm not sure that any of these are suitable for the level of formality I would like to present.

What would be a good style of sporran to compliment this event and outfit?

Thanks much!

Rob.

I am a fan of the Nightstalker and it is my go to sporran, but on this occasion the small "semi-dress" (black leather, short fur front, three tassels) is your best bet.

Regards

Chas

I agree with Chas, if you're not planning to buy a new sporran for the occasion then the Semi-Dress would be your best bet.
You're given SOME leeway as a man of the cloth, and a 'full-bling' dress sporran may be inappropriate if you are officiating at the wedding.

Here's one I made for another X-Marker who also happens to be a man of the cloth. He wanted something that he could wear day or evening with his collar, and didn't feel that
a big shiny cantle was generally appropriate. We went with an older, less commonly seen style of 'day' sporran with the envelope top, so it will stand out, but not in an overly flashy way.



ith:

[Rob, ClanMacMillan, NM]

According to my wife, purchasing a new sporran is (probably) do-able .

Rob.

[Spartan Tartan]

I agree that given your three choices, the semi-dress is your best bet. I would, however, consider a new plain black leather sporran (thanks to artificer for posting such a wonderful example). Certainly, given the circumstances, I would avoid any large hair or full-face type sporrans.

[guardsman]

Personally go for a full dress sporranwith cantle, much sharper, unless budget stops you.
Best wishes for your daughters day

[Singlemalt]

I would not sweat it too much. Given everything that is going on at a wedding and the general WOW factor that goes with a kilt I doubt anyone is going to take much notice of the details of a sporran. My Scottish Grandfather was a Prebyterian Minister and occasionally "worked" in his kilt. Honestly the only sporran I remember him having was a very plain brown leather one with no tassels. It was probably army surplus and we all thought he looked great.

[CMcG]

If you are wearing a formal outfit consisting of a PC, black bow tie, etc, then I would recommend a formal sporran. Your best bet would be a fur body with tassels and a metal cantle, but you could also work with a black leather hunting sporran with a metal cantle.

If you wear a belt with everything, then skip the waistcoat because the two tend not to work so well together. It will also help you to keep a bit cooler in the August heat!

[MacRobert's Reply]

If you are wearing a formal outfit consisting of a PC, black bow tie, etc, then I would recommend a formal sporran. Your best bet would be a fur body with tassels and a metal cantle, but you could also work with a black leather hunting sporran with a metal cantle.

If you wear a belt with everything, then skip the waistcoat because the two tend not to work so well together. It will also help you to keep a bit cooler in the August heat!

Sound advice but if the wedding is before 6 pm I would opt for day rather than evening wear. I conducted both my son's and daughter's weddings kilted ... although during the service it was invisible under a cassock-alb.

[OC Richard]

With a PC I would want to wear an evening-style sporran. You could get one with black fur and tassels which would be more reserved-looking, less showy or bling-y.

There's a white one, though, on Ebay right now for $40. You can't see the back (very important for sporran buying, because from the back you can tell where it's made, even if it isn't stamped) but I'm sure it's not a Pakistani one because the cantle is the silverplated "G" cantle which I've not seen the Pakistani firms copy. This is a slightly higher-end evening cantle from the traditional "canon" of sporran designs used by many Scottish (and at least one Canadian) maker.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Kilt-Sporr...item1c317f0c17

Here's the thread where I explain what I mean by the "traditional canon of sporran styles". You can see the sporrans using that cantle with the large dome (which by the way were always silverplated and stamped "Made in Scotland" on the side) carry the designation "G".

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-styles-77256/

Though there's an odd exception, the sporran on the lower left, which has the "G" cantle but for some reason is called "EW4" which usually refers to a different cantle.

I myself go old-school and wear a goathair Edwardian-style sporran with a 100-year-old cantle with my PC