Marriage in Scotland

Scotland is a popular place for young English couples to get married since, in Scotland, parents' permission is not required if both the bride and groom are old enough to legally be married (16). In England it was the case that if either was 16 or 17 then the permission of parents had to be sought.^[5] Thus Scotland, and especially the blacksmith's at Gretna Green, became a very popular place for couples to elope to, especially those under 18 and usually living in England. Gretna Green now hosts hundreds of weddings a year and is Scotland's third most popular tourist attraction.

• The bride's family sends invitations on behalf of the couple to the wedding guests, addressed by hand. The couple may send the invitations themselves, especially if they are more middle-aged. The invitations are usually sent no later than 6 weeks before the wedding and will specify if the invitation is for ceremony and/or reception and/or evening following the meal at the reception. It has become more common in recent times for Save The Date Cards^[6] to be used to notify invitees further in advance to allow sufficient notice for arrangements to be made to ensure attendance. These can be sent up to 6 months before the wedding day.
• Guests send or deliver wedding gifts to the bride's family home before the wedding day. Alternatively, the couple may register at a department store and have a list of gifts there. The shop then organizes delivery, usually to the bride's parents' house or to the reception venue.
• A wedding ceremony takes place at a church, register office or possibly another favorite location, such as a hilltop. In this regard Scotland differs significantly from England where only pre-approved public locations may be used for the wedding ceremony. Most ceremonies take place mid afternoon and last about half an hour during which the marriage schedule is signed by the couple and two witnesses, usually the best man and chief bridesmaid.
• The newly wed couple often leave the ceremony to the sound of bagpipes.
• There is a wedding reception following the ceremony, usually at a different venue.
• The bridal party, or members of it, always including the bride and groom, lines up in a receiving line and the wedding guests file past, introducing themselves.
• Usually a beverage is served while the guests and bridal party mingle. In some cases the drink may be whisky or wine with a non alcoholic alternative.
• The best man and bride's father toast the bride and groom with personal thoughts, stories, and well-wishes, usually humorous. The groom then follows with a response on behalf of his bride. Champagne is usually provided for the toast.
• There is nearly always dancing following the meal, with the style of music being selected by the couple to suit their preference. Often in Scotland this takes the form of a céilidh, a night of Scottish country dancing in couples and groups (sets) to live traditional music. This may be performed by a specialist céilidh band, though many non-specialist bands will also incorporate some traditional céilidh dances in their repertoire along with a range of music of all styles to suit tastes. ^[7]
• The first dance is led by the bride and groom, followed by the rest of the bridal party and finally the guests.
• The cake-cutting ceremony takes place; the bride and groom jointly hold a cake cutter and cut the first pieces of the wedding cake.
• Gifts are not opened at the reception; they are either opened ahead of time and sometimes displayed at the reception, or if guests could not deliver gifts ahead of time, they are placed on a table at the reception for the bride and groom to take home with them and open later.
• A sprig of white heather is usually worn as a buttonhole for good luck.
• It is the norm for the groom and much of the male bridal party and guests to wear kilts, although suits are also worn. Kilts andHighland dress are often rented for this purpose. ^[8]