Traditional Highland Wedding Attire?

[tpa]

For a suit equivalent. A sober tweed kilt jacket, white shirt, plain hose, day sporran, black brogues--well polished, suitable non tartan tie and most importantly, your own tartan kilt.

I'd agree with Jock on this one, but sadly the choice is not always with the wearer. I'd have chosen my brown lightly furred day sporran for my daughters wedding, but was overruled by the 2 most important females at the event, my daughter and my wife. However as the wedding was not in Scotland, I expect I got away with it.

I was lucky with the brogues, the sole fell off the ones I was wearing less than an hour before the wedding, (they were a pair of 37 year old seconds), but was fortunate in being able to rush home and dust off another black pair with minutes to go.

[Jock Scot]

Ah yes! I remember the last minute wedding attire panic well! Does it happen to everyone? Smashing picture TPA.

[OC Richard]

Here's some vintage Scottish wedding photos from a different thread I started showing Grooms wearing traditional Highland Day Dress








And Peter's photo for comparison, which nicely shows the timelessness or stability of the tradition.

[thescot]

I cannot possibly improve upon the advice Jock gave you other than to say his three items are perfect.

The only Scottish-attired wedding I ever attended was day wedding in which I officiated. It was fairly low-key and understated, as I think appropriate. I wore day dress and remained quite plain as is appropriate in my part. You can see that I tried to stick with typical day wear below.

[Laird O'the Cowcaddens]

A smart looking outfit Jim, although I think I might have gone with a shirt in a shade of grey (just my thruppence worth). Hope all is well with you & yours.

[Nathan]

I am enjoying this thread. The consensus here seems to be that for most Highland Weddings, the groom wears a sober tweed as suit equivalent. Is it also the case that the bride wears a less formal wedding gown to accompany it? In Canada brides usually wear as formal a gown as can be found with lace, pearls, crinoline, a long train, and often with a veil and tiara.

Would not a suit equivalent seem a little unbalanced next to such a formal dress?

Also, is there a division on the level of formality of the wedding party and other wedding attendees or are they all dressed to a similar standard.

In Canada, the wedding party is typically dressed a level of formality above the rest of the attendees. For example, if attendees are wearing suits, the wedding party will be dressed in formal wear. If the wedding party are wearing dark suits with crisp white shirts, cufflings and solid coloured ties, the attendees may be wearing their usual church attire.

Is this ever the case in Scotland?

[The Q]

If you look at the first two of the pictures put up by OC Richard you'll see in both pictures the ladies are dressed up in the traditional white gown. Remember tweed jackets and kilts are expensive, much more so than the suit that would be worn by the non kilt wearing grooms.


Today however where those that are told they will be wearing a kilt, have to hire them, you'll find the Hire shops often push a Prince Charlie with a fly-plaid.

This doesn't mean it's correct, in theory a PC should only be worn in the evening, whereas for a day wedding, if ultra formal the gentleman should be wearing a Black Argyll.

As is often said on here, the groom is not supposed to outshine the bride!

[Nathan]

If you look at the first two of the pictures put up by OC Richard you'll see in both pictures the ladies are dressed up in the traditional white gown. Remember tweed jackets and kilts are expensive, much more so than the suit that would be worn by the non kilt wearing grooms.


Today however where those that are told they will be wearing a kilt, have to hire them, you'll find the Hire shops often push a Prince Charlie with a fly-plaid.

This doesn't mean it's correct, in theory a PC should only be worn in the evening, whereas for a day wedding, if ultra formal the gentleman should be wearing a Black Argyll.

As is often said on here, the groom is not supposed to outshine the bride!

All true but doesn't really address my question. The gowns pictured weren't as formal as say this one:
http://cool-wedding.net/wp-content/u...ong-trains.jpg

I'm well aware about the PC push by hire shops, but people from the UK talk about "formal weddings".

The nature of my question speaks to the perhaps North American tradition of having only the wedding party attired formally and the rest of the attendees dressed smartly.

So, assume one were to wear the appropriate daytime formal wear of a the black barrathea Argyll. Would the rest of the wedding guests be similarly attired in Scotland or do they have the tradition of a split between the formality of the wedding party and the guests as exists here?

I've seen photos of formal weddings (all in morning suits) and informal weddings (all in lounge suits) but I don't seem to see a Scottish (UK?) tradition of a different level of dress for people who are part of the show (bride, groom, best man, groomsmen, maid of honour, bridesmaids and sometimes parents of the bride and groom) and those invited to watch the show...


N

[Jock Scot]

The attire for men is guided by the Bride's family, the Bride's father should be consulted on this aspect of the wedding. The dress requirement request may be written on the invitation, or more usually the guests will quietly and behind the scenes enquire from someone close to the Brides family and in the know, what "the Form" is. Amazingly this rather haphazard and informal method of gaining the information on what attire is expected from the guests works rather well. It is, i may add, considered very bad form to ignore, or question the attire instructions,whatever they may be and the guest is expected to conform.

[The Q]

Remember those photos are probably 50 years ago plus and outside of high aristocracy or Royalty, that was as dressed up as anyone got.

In all the weddings I have attended, only one of which was kilted, All the men were suited, or similarly kilted.
Only the bride Shone in her white Gown with or without tiara or train. Of The other ladies in the wedding party, the Bridesmaids wore a lesser version of the Brides gown.
Lady parents wore a new dress, All the Gentlemen including the groom wore a suit and it's likely only the groom had a new one.
In the Kilted wedding the same applies for the ladies, but 90% of the men were wearing hire shop kilts, some with Argyle, some with PC. My brother was in his hired PC for it was his wedding, but no fly plaid .