Traditional Highland Wedding Attire?

[OC Richard]

Is this Bride and Groom cake thing a regular occurrence in your part of the world? I must confess that I have never heard of it happening before.

I'm with you, I can't recall knowingly seeing a Groom cake, and I used to pipe at 40 or so weddings a year.

BTW what does the Groom groom? Does he groom the Bride?

It's an example of "folk etymology" where a word falls out of use in a language except for being used in a compound, it then sounding strange, and being altered to a word still used in the language. Bryd-guma "Bride-Man" made sense when guma (cognate with human) was still a common word for "man" or "person". When guma fell out of use Bryd-guma didn't make sense so guma was changed to a word that sounded similar and sort of made sense.

The were in Were-wolf ("man-wolf") BTW is another old English word for "man", cognate with virile.

[Nathan]

Hi Colin,

Congrats! There are a few factors to consider if you're holding such a wedding here.

In Toronto your groomsmen can easily hire Prince Charlies and charcoal Tweeds but not Black Argylls. Given the option, I'd put my groomsmen in the somber tweed and either wear that myself or step it up a notch with the black Argyll. I don't think I'd get married in full evening attire unless the event was in the evening and I could expect my invited guests to dress quite smartly.

I'd also consider how formal Bee was going to be dressed. If she is done up in the most formal of outfits, perhaps it's worth doing a later wedding in evening wear.

If it was me though, I'd wear morning dress equivalent and put my groomsmen in charcoal tweed. I'd let them wear their own kilts if they have them or hire them if they do not.

Nathan

[CMcG]

...

If it was me though, I'd wear morning dress equivalent and put my groomsmen in charcoal tweed. I'd let them wear their own kilts if they have them or hire them if they do not.

Sorry for the delayed reply. That's an interesting take on how to get some cohesion in the wedding party (i.e., with jackets), although if the groomsmen were all your brothers it would be quite uniform with the tartan too!

[Nathan]

Sorry for the delayed reply. That's an interesting take on how to get some cohesion in the wedding party (i.e., with jackets), although if the groomsmen were all your brothers it would be quite uniform with the tartan too!

True. That said, when my brother Cory got married, he and I were in Lochcarron's Clanranald modern but our brother Elliott was in Clanranald muted from HOEs Old and rare collection.

[Jack Daw]

Not to beat a dead horse but,....

I forgot to mention the traditional wedding token of the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. It should always be precariously placed on the thin railing next to the organist:

[OC Richard]

icing would gum up the works... Heaven forbid putting it back in it's scabbard without a proper cleaning!

Hmmm I wonder if licking the icing off constitutes "proper cleaning"

[tpa]

For my wedding in 1976, I bought a new pair of Florsheim brogues that I have worn sparingly since.

I still wear my brogues from my wedding in 1979. Although new they were classified as "seconds" when I bought them. Guess they are about 10th's now.

[glynrb]

I've gone all the way through this thread, and it's been extremely helpful in providing outfit answers. My problem is this: I am the father of the bride at my daughter's wedding in October in the south of France. So the temperature shouldn't make the wearing of a 5 yard or 8 yard kilt a problem. The difficulty is that I came to kilts via Utility Kilts, and having now purchased a "real" Scottish built woollen kilt as well as a Pakistani synthetic tartan kilt, I find it difficult to cope with having wool next to my skin - A problem I remember from my childhood.

So I'd be grateful for suggestions as to what to do: Should I grin and bear a genuine woollen kilt (problematical for a whole day)? Is there such a thing as a "High Quality" synthetic kilt material available in one of the Clark tartans (from my mother's side)? Should I go for a plain Utility Kilt in cotton? If the latter, is there such a thing as a high quality Utility Kilt made in the United Kingdom? Alternatively, is it possible to put a lining in a kilt?

I did wonder about an underskirt, but having just had some very funny looks as a result of wearing a kilt to a showing of "The Danish Girl", I'm worried that the sight of a "slip" might faze the Groom's family!

[The Wizard of BC]

glynrb,

Perhaps as a kiltmake, who is asked questions like this on an almost daily basis, I can offer some answers to your questions.

First, as to the reaction to wool...
Kilts are normally made from what is called "worsted" wool. This very seldom causes any dermatological reaction. There are basically two types of reactions to wool. The first occurs due to the sharp ends of the wool 'hairs' where it is cut from the sheep. These ends can sometimes be sharp and may sometimes find their way into the pores of skin. This can cause small welts to rise. This condition is called "Contact dermatitis'. Contact dermatitis will usually occur with wool that has these small ends sticking out in different directions. As "Worsting" softens, stretches and lays parallel the fibers of the wool and then spins those parallel fibers very tightly, Kilt wool is not very prone to this condition.

Another, rare but reported effect is a chemical reaction to the lanolin on the wool or to any chemicals remaining on the fabric from the manufacturing process. This condition is an allergic reaction. The truth is that very, very few people have an allergy to lanolin. Wool has been the premier garment fiber for many generations. What many people associate as a wool allergy may actually be a reaction to the modern chemicals remaining on today's fabrics. A good dry cleaning or perhaps repeated cleanings will, in most cases, remove these excess chemicals.

Wearing underwear or even bike shorts or cut-off long johns has been effective for many people in alleviating these reported reactions. An under garment similar to a slip can often help too. Many of out members report using an underkilt or slip like garment with their kilts. Just not one with lace at the bottom hem.

Wearing a skirt has always been the preferred dress for ladies when it is warm. Any skirt like garment is going to be cooler than pants. We actually call it "Kilt Conditioning". Not only are our kilts open at the bottom but we have all those pleats back there creating a large fan capable of creating quite a breeze on a hot day.

Yes, there is a high quality synthetic Tartan fabric suitable for making kilts. It is woven by a company in England called Marton Mills. And yes, they do have the Clergy Tartan in their stock Tartan line. I have made many kilts, sashes and ladies wraps in the Polyester/Rayon blend fabrics woven by Marton Mills. This fabric is listed as being 375 grams per linear meter which is significantly lighter than 16oz wool which weighs 500 grams per linear meter.
As a comparison, the acrylic used in your imported kilt will be approx. 100-110 grams per liner meter.
These Poly/Rayon blends are actual Tartans and make a very nice, machine washable/dryable kilt. They are very wrinkle resistant and the pleats almost never require touch-ups with an iron.


And finally I personally would not wear, or suggest to my customers, that they wear a utility style kilt to a wedding. These garments are normally considered casual or rough work kilts and to my eye would not be in keeping with the more formal setting of a wedding. A solid colored kilt made like a traditional kilt could however, be very nice if that is your personal style.
I would avoid the very wide reverse kingussie pleat styling, the narrow aprons and plethora of buttons, snaps and other metal found on many utility style kilts.

[glynrb]

What a great explanation.

I reckon you've identified that the problem I have is irritation of the skin rather than an allergy, as I don't get a rash, and the problem does actually seem to be mechanical. So it looks as though wool should be OK as long as I can find a suitable undergarment that won't worry those around me (I am congenitally incapable of embarrassment, but I don't want to upset our new relatives-in-law).

Also, it sounds as though the Marton Mill fabric would either make a good alternative or a backup plan.

You've confirmed my thoughts on a Utility Kilt. I wasn't that keen on it myself - It was my wife who suggested it as an alternative because, as she so delicately put it to me, "you look slimmer in Utility Kilts". I still haven't worked out whether a) this is true or b) a "Made to Measure" traditional style kilt will suit my shape better than "Off the shelf" or c) she is just trying to get me to lose weight...

Again - Many thanks