Celtic Renaissance Theme

Just booked Timber Point Country Club for my 'as close to Beltane' 2013 wedding as can be. We are trying to get the Celtic Renaissance feel to it without being over the top and gaudy. Any ideas? We are going to be having beer steins and goblets instead of regular glasses, probably going to be bringing in mead as well. My fiance and his guys are all going to be wearing kilts (trying to get them to wear the loose, not as formal tops but he wants the Prince Charles jackets and neckties.... ewwww) and my girls are going to be wearing bodice and chemise/skirts. Not really sure what else we can do that won't cost an arm and a leg.... Can anyone help????

Re: Celtic Renaissance Theme

How about your flowers? Could you make them fit the theme somehow?

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Wasn't planning on having a whole lot of flowers. Planned on putting ivy on the banister on the stairs, and the girls will be wearing flower wreaths. our bouquets are gonna be wildflower bouquets, but other than that, not really planning lots of flowers. centerpieces are candelabras (with candles, not flowers). with petals on the table.

Re: Celtic Renaissance Theme

Hey Stryker -

My boyfriend and I just got engaged (1 1/2 weeks ago) and are looking to plan a 'Modern-twist on Medieval' wedding for nearish May 2013 - near Beltaine- as well.

How was Timber Point Country Club - both price and look wise for a medieval themed wedding? It s one of the places we were going to consider.

A couple of Ideas we've had -

*miniflags. Offbeat bride has a great tutorial on using bamboo skewers, cardstock and transfer paper to make mini flags. We were going to substitute fabric in a multitude of colors for triangular flags for the guests to wae instead of throwing rice etc.

Medieval banners - once again, we're crafty at the machine, use discount fabric to make hangable banners, then screen print using T-shirt transfers coat of arms onto them. My FI knows his family's coat of arms, so we are doing that with his.

My groom wants to wear a white silk or linen fighter's shirt in period garb with a nice doublet in whatever our wedding colors turn out to be.

Another idea we'e tossed around is making our own parchment invitations/reception cards. Naming the tables after fantasy castles (Avalon, Camelot, Rivendell from Lord of the Rings). I'm sure you could make it historical or period if you wanted.

All of the above ideas are like DYI but affordable, just time consuming and in need of a crafty hand.

Re: Celtic Renaissance Theme

There are plenty of announcement/invitations with the Celtic theme.

If you have any connections with any firemen or police officers who are in the pipers, they can perform at your reception.

Found this on another site:

Another element you may wish to incorporate in your ceremony is the Irish Wedding Bell. At your wedding, you and your husband ring the bell, and afterwards keep it close at hand in your new household. (Perhaps your guests could have smaller versions of the bell, and 'ring' you out of the church in lieu of the usual shower of rice.) Whenever you argue or have differences, retrieve your bell and ring it in order to remind you of your solemn wedding vows.

A favorite benediction at Irish weddings is the Irish Wedding Blessing. You may wish to consider another traditional blessing, which is less well-known:

May God be with you and bless you;
May you see your children's children;
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings;
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward


Irish brides always carry a small horseshoe in their bouquets (or sometimes a tiny one sewn into the hem of their wedding dress) for luck. This dates back centuries, to a time when iron was considered a good luck charm.



A beautiful traditional Druidic blessing for unity was written on the inside cover page of a wedding mass booklet I attended last month in Limerick. It read:


We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Mark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.


It's true that traditional Irish wedding cakes are fruit cakes. If you're not big on fruit cakes, why not decide to make the top layer of your cake in the traditional Irish fashion and the other layers to your favorite flavor? The custom of the fruit cake is that its richness symbolizes blessings for wealth and prosperity. The top layer is always saved until the celebration of the christening of an Irish couple's first child! Fruit cake yuk!


Green is actually considered an unlucky color at Irish weddings—the bride is not to wear green, and Irish guests would never attend a wedding in green either!


• Another cute idea is to incorporate traditional hand-fasting right before you kiss. With a piece of cloth in a color or pattern that is meaningful to you, the officiant will tie you and your groom’s wrist together to as a sign that you are now happily bound by the promise of true love. Sweet isn’t it?

It is considered good luck to toss the old shoe over the bride’s head after the ceremony. Just make sure the bride won’t be hit and end up with a bruise somewhere!


Check out this site:

http://www.theweddingoutlet.com/Wedding-Themes/Irish-Wedding

http://www.favorsandflowers.com/irish_wedding_theme.htm

LOVE this favor:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=3064599

Re: Celtic Renaissance Theme

I can't believe i never saw this when you wrote it! i am so sorry I never replied!!!!!!!! Timber Point isn't the BEST looking for the theme, but there are plenty of things you can do to work with it. They won't let us HANG any banners or anything, but on a stand that would be no problem. We are using a lot of candles to make the place look more like we want it. I ended up winning my wedding dress, so I have to change it up some in order to fit in with the theme. and the guys are all wearing his family tartan kilts with the Prince Charlie jackets (tho i wish they would wear shirts like what yours is planning on doing!) We got parchment paper in order to make our invitations, gonna print them up, and tri-fold them with a wax seal to mail. Timber Point gives us reception cards, but if I have left over paper I may just make them too.... ummm as of everything else, workin on ideas... our Best Wishes isn't going into a book, its gonna be on a scroll.... I am getting m circlet made by a girl who makes custom jewelry really reasonably priced.... any more questions and I would gladly answer.... Just can't believe i didn't see you responded till now... hmm

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It's okay Stryker.

We've actually gone more modern medieval - but that was always our intention?

Anyways - we wound up going to Douglaston Manor, which has this semi-Spanish historic Manor like feel. It's got the big open timber ceilings, tile floors, fireplaces and hanging chandeliers that can give it a sort of medeival feel....

So our list includes.....

- invitations will be done on parchment with wax seal. We're making matching RSVPS etc.

- We're still doing a table runner *white* that will have his family crest silk screened on it for our sweetheart table.

- We will be using tons of small votives in candle holders.

- I am taking old colored glass wine bottles, cutting the bottoms out, and using those as candle holders on the fire place mantles, guest tables etc.

- I will be making mini-flags with like 'huzzah' 'Yay' 'S- & M- date'
on the for the guests to wave in wedding colors.

- I plan on wearing a silver headpiece - no veil.

- Flower girl will be wearing a floral wreath.

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grrrr I have tried to reply to this post like 3 times and each time it doesn't go!!!! GRRR lets try this again

So is Douglaston Manor good with pricing? Very happy you found something that helps your feel! Unfortunately we couldn't find something as well suited to our style wedding, but it will do.

What are you doing for the RSVP envelopes? I am stumped cause I am doing everything myself too. I am also making parchment paper invites and RSVP cards. Also, I don't know if you know this, but I have heard that instead of the regular wax seals, you should use the glue gun wax. The regular wax seals can break in the mail and the glue gun wax is sturdier.

Where did he find his family crest???? Thats so cool!!!!

We are doing votives around on the mantles also. I found these cute little holders at pier one that were on sale and look like blown glass the way its all folded. Our centerpieces are candelabras with some red flower petals.... nice sweet and simple. I plan on using some ivy on the staircase...

I LOVE the idea of your little banners. I was thinking that our tables would be differentiated by different heraldic pictures instead of names or numbers. Pictures like the knight on the horse on its rear legs, etc.

I am going to be wearing a custom circlet that is being made for me right now. It is really cheap considering its custom and I haven't seen any other circlets for even remotely this price. So excited!!!!!! My cousin is lending me her veil cause it means a lot to my father to lift the blusher.

I want to do a scroll for the 'best wishes'.... just have to figure out where to get all the supplies, or to be able to buy a blank scroll large enough but not overbearing.

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love it.

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thanks! I am trying.... working with very low budget and not managing to stay within it at all...

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Sorry Stryker - Glad you did prevail though...

Douglaston Manor is under $100 per person, with taxes and gratuity... and we managed to talk down their minimum # of people. So I consider it a good deal.

As for Rsvp Envelopes - I'm not sure yet. I think I'll be making vertical pocketfolds myself, using different sized parchment papers for the inside. Maybe I can cut or make them sort of like postcards just the right color.

my FH just happens to know his family crest - and my parents know ours. So we'll be printing them on transfer paper to put them on table runners.

Why not make your own scroll before best wishes? Go to an art supply store and see if they sell a large roll of paper, find one that matched a parchment color, or with an ink pad - can be made to look similar.

Then buy wood dowel rod that can be cut to the width of the paper, add some kind of decorative knob (maybe like the wooden draw handles) and if you want to get fancy - add like tassels.

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No reason to be sorry!

That works nicely for you then. We managed to get our price per person the cheapest I have seen anywhere and it was for the twilight. I didn't want to have to wake up at the crack of dawn for such a long day as it is.

Thats an interesting idea. I like the idea of making them small post cards. That solves many problems there!

The table runners sound really pretty.

I was thinking of possibly making my own. Not sure if it will be cheaper or more expensive tho. By going to a craft store thats adding a middleman (the paper company that made it, etc). Right now getting the vendors are priority I think. Things like this I can get everyone involved with to help I think.