Another Wedding Thread

[Wingnut037]

Hello gents,
My long time partner thankfully accepted my proposal last month, and now the planning begins. With her being Scottish by birth, and myself through ancestry, we have decided to get married in Scotland. Found a great castle to get married at, saving some being on a summer weekday. As it is part of the National Trust, will be an evening event starting at 6:30pm. The main question becomes the level of formality.

She is by far the least picky bride when it comes to what I want to wear, but I would like to dress appropriately for the occasion and setting. My current kilt is a Braemar jacket and vest in Lomond Blue, with an Isle of Skye tartan. This will not be a black tie affair, and most other gentleman will be in highland attire.

Is an argyll jacket more appropriate than a PC? I don't attend many formal events, but like to go kilted when appropriate.

If I go with a new kilt, it will be my family's, Clan Graham. Is there a formality difference when choosing a modern, ancient, or weathered version?

Unsure on if I should include service ribbons or medals. I served with 2 other Marines attending, so thoughts on them wearing are also appreciated.

I've decided on a new set of oxfords, leaving the ghillies to the piper. Sporran will be one of my 4 formal acquisitions (I blame OC Richard.) A bit long winded, but I appreciate the knowledge and effort that goes into this community.

[Troglodyte]

Technically, no mattr what time of day they are held, weddings are morning events, so your attire ought to be day-wear.

However, as your wedding will be in the evening, and the Prince Charlie coatee is evening-wear, you could wear that quite happily, and the smartness of the outfit will trump a plain tweed Argyle anytime - particularly when it come to looking good in the formal photos.

If your two marines mates will be in uniform, it is quite right that their medal ribbons should be on their tunics, but not the medals themselves as it is not a military occasion. You, yourself, will be in civilian dress, so no military insignia or medal ribbons would be appropriate. If you will have the traditional floral 'button-hole', medals and ribbons are even less appropriate.

If you decide on the Prince Charlie, a fur and 'silver' trimmed sporran would be the right choice, as leather or 'hunting' style sporrans are not the same level of smartness or formality. Ghillie brogues would be more appropriate than 'English' Oxford-style shoes with the kilt.

Before wedding attire fashion polarised itself during the past 15 or 20 years into black-tie evening-wear or casual day-time tweeds, it was thought proper and correct to wear a black barathea Argyle with silver buttons - the Highland equivalent of the English morning-coat. This has all the dash of of the Prince Charlie, but without it being obviously evening dinner-wear, and so is more proper and correct for a wedding. You would easily find a kilt-hire locally that would rent you one for the wedding.

Other guests are free to please themselves, but bride-groom, best-man and bride's father always look best on photos when their attire is matched in dressy formality. If the three of you will be kilted, being in the barathea Argyle will enhance the appearance of the bride's dress, and will match the smartness of the marines' uniforms - and would make for some spectacular pictures.

Good luck!

[Wingnut037]

Thanks for the reply. A quick note for clarification, no one will be in uniform.
For the guest that are planning to hire a kilt, it sounds like it will be best to advise argyll jackets. Would it be appropriate to request matching tartans as well?

[Jock Scot]

----------------- Would it be appropriate to request matching tartans as well?

Generally, one wears one's own tartan to a wedding. Even the Groom, best man and ushers will wear their own tartan. I know it seems that the wedding organisers these days tend to insist on matching everything, but no self respecting tartan owning Scot will swap HIS tartan kilt for some other just to please the photographer or the brides mother! Actually the mixture of tartans with their different colours and patterns can create a riot of colours that is rather pleasing.

[TNScotsman]

Generally, one wears one's own tartan to a wedding. Even the best man and ushers will wear their own tartan. I know it seems that the wedding organisers these days tend to insist on matching everything, but no self respecting tartan owning Scot will swap HIS tartan kilt for some other just to please the photographer or the brides mother! Actually the mixture of tartans with their different colours and patterns can create a riot of colours that is rather pleasing.

In the wedding I served in earlier this year we were forced by the bride to be in Black Watch rather than our clan tartans. However, being a Campbell from my paternal line Black Watch was still my clan affiliation. HA!

That said, I very much agree with Jock Scot; a person's family tartan is very personal and shouldn't be discarded for the sake of wanting to be matchy-matchy for the pictures.

[TNScotsman]

Hello gents,
Unsure on if I should include service ribbons or medals. I served with 2 other Marines attending, so thoughts on them wearing are also appreciated.

First, thank you to you and your brother Marines for your service. While I don't claim to be the authority on kilt wear that others are on this forum I do have a rather strong opinion on this particular matter. Follow the guidelines of the USMC on the wearing of decorations on civilian attire and make your choice from there. If the Corps allows it, and you want to do it, then represent your service with pride!

[Jock Scot]

First, thank you to you and your brother Marines for your service. While I don't claim to be the authority on kilt wear that others are on this forum I do have a rather strong opinion on this particular matter. Follow the guidelines of the USMC on the wearing of decorations on civilian attire and make your choice from there. If the Corps allows it, and you want to do it, then represent your service with pride!

With the greatest of respect to all, but this is where civilian UK wedding attire and civilian Scottish wedding attire requirements differ to those from other countries. Decorations are not worn to a civilian wedding. To me, if you are wearing the kilt then one follows Scottish traditions and if you want to adjust those traditions to fit another set of traditions then don’t wear the kilt. It’s that simple. Sorry.

[Wingnut037]

Generally, one wears one's own tartan to a wedding. Even the best man and ushers will wear their own tartan. I know it seems that the wedding organisers these days tend to insist on matching everything, but no self respecting tartan owning Scot will swap HIS tartan kilt for some other just to please the photographer or the brides mother! Actually the mixture of tartans with their different colours and patterns can create a riot of colours that is rather pleasing.

The only ones with ties to any clan is myself, and the brides father and brother who have their own kilts. That directed the question more than anything, as anyone else wishing to wear a kilt would be hiring.

[Tomo]

In terms of kilt hire, the choice of tartan used to be pretty limited (Royal Stewart and Black Watch being 2 staples) but it has expanded in recent years (Isle of Skye being a popular choice these days).

Some companies even do a hire to buy service, so you can hire a made to measure kilt in any tartan, usually for a significantly higher fee than hiring of the peg, but much lower than buying a kilt outright. Then if you decide to keep the kilt the hire price is deducted from the purchase price - if nothing else could be a way to spread the cost.

My two-penneth on the choice of jackets would be black Argyll with silver buttons or a charcoal or grey tweed. I'd ditch the ghillies but would wear ordinary brogues/wingtips rather than Oxfords or Derbys.

[OC Richard]

...evening event starting at 6:30pm.

That raises a question for me: is the Day/Evening attire choice set by the clock, or by the sun?

As we know in some times of year it can still by daytime at 10pm.

Braemar jacket and vest in Lomond Blue, with Isle of Skye tartan. This will not be a black tie affair, and most other gentleman will be in highland attire.

That sounds lovely to me, but I don't know the Scottish customs as per my first question above.

a sporran will be one of my 4 formal acquisitions (I blame OC Richard.)

Ha!

As a piper I've played for hundreds of weddings here in the USA, and as you know in general here people often wear traditional Evening attire (black tuxedos) for weddings at any time of day.

Likewise for kilted weddings people here in the USA usually wear black Prince Charlies and black bow ties regardless.

The interesting thing is when I've piped at weddings here for which one side of the family has flown over from Scotland for the event, and these men are invariably in black Prince Charlies.

I attribute all of this to the Kilt Hire Industry. Vintage photos show men wearing ordinary Day Dress at daytime weddings, which as I understand has always been the custom in the Highlands.

But I would think that your first step concerning gent's dress would be to find out how the locals would treat an event at 6:30 at the particular time of year your wedding will occur, and also the location whether indoors or outside on the castle's grounds.

I would suppose a summer garden wedding in broad daylight would call for Day Dress, but I don't know the local custom.