I know we have had traditions before, but these are specific Scottish ones so thought I would share will all of our Scots girls on here.

Scottish customs
Main article: 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. 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.

Customs:

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 invites will specify if the invitation is for ceremony and/or reception and/or evening following the meal at the reception.

Give a Scottish brooch (called Luckenbooth) as a token of your love or as a betrothal gift. This is usually made of silver and is engraved with two hearts entwined. Some couples pin this on the blanket of their first born for good luck.



Guests send or deliver wedding gifts to the bride's family home before the wedding day. Alternatively, the couple may register at 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 may leave the ceremony to the sound of bagpipes.

There is a wedding reception following the ceremony, usually at a different venue.

The bridal party lines up in a receiving line and the wedding guests file past, introducing themselves.

Usually a drink 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. Often in Scotland this takes the form of a céilidh, a night of informal traditional Scottish dancing in couples and groups to live traditional music. 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 and Highland dress are often rented for this purpose

Handfasting
Main article: Handfasting
Handfasting is a wedding ritual in which the bride's and groom's hands are tied together. It is said to be based on an ancient Celtic tradition and to have inspired the phrase "tying the knot". "Handfasting" is favored by practitioners of Celtic-based religions and spiritual traditions, such as Wicca and Druidism

According to Gaelic tradition it is unlucky to marry in the month of May or during a waning moon.

In Aberdeenshire even now the 'blackening' is a ritual performed with great relish. The engaged couple are captured one night by so called 'friends' and covered with foul substances such as treacle, feathers, soot etc and then paraded around the village and usually the pubs. It takes days to wash clean!

Tradition says sew a hair onto the hem of a wedding dress for luck, or let a drop of blood fall onto an inner seam. The bride must never try on a complicated dress in advance of her wedding day. To facilitate this tradition a small section of the hem is left unsewn by the dressmaker until the last moment.

The bride, when she leaves home for the last time as a single girl, should step out of the house with her right foot for luck

where does the carrying a potty round on your hen do fit in to all this? really looking forward to that....................ahem.

what band you having?

thanks for this post its interesting im not looking forward to getting blackened seen friends ones and it looks horrible the stuff they cover you in and takes days to wash off. xx

we still have quite a lot of blackenings here. so i know i wont be let off on that one. yeah im defo going to do the walking out with my right foot. xx

Here are some more for you (copy and pasted from a website)

A Sixpence in the Bride's Shoe
A sixpence coin may be placed in the bride's shoe to help bring her good luck. Similarly, in the Scottish Borders, a sprig of heather is hidden within the Bride's bouquet.
Where might I find this?
Aberdeen & Grampian, Angus & Dundee, Scottish Borders

The Wedding Scramble
As the bride steps into the car, it is a tradition for the father to throw a handful of coins for the children to collect. This practice, called a scramble, is believed to bring financial luck. This also takes place in weddings in Ayrshire but is known there as a 'warsel'.
Where might I find this?
Aberdeen & Grampian, Angus & Dundee, Fife, Ayrshire & Arran, Scottish Borders, Dumfries & Galloway

The Lang Reel
The Lang Reel is a traditional dance which happens in the fishing communities in the North-East of Scotland. The dance sees villagers and the wedding party begin dancing from the harbour, continuing through the village as each couple leave the reel when they pass their home. This continues until the only couple left are the bride and groom who have the last dance.
Where might I find this?
Aberdeen & Grampian

Traditional Grand March at the Wedding Reception
This spectacular procedure is often the first dance to take place at a wedding. It begins with the bride and groom marching to the sound of bagpipes or a live band. As they march, the maid of honour (or chief bridesmaid) and best man join in, followed by both sets of parents and finally by all willing guests!
Where might I find this?
Shetland, Orkney (both band rather than pipes), Aberdeen & Grampian, Outer Hebrides

Traditional Gifts
In the North-East of Scotland, it is traditional for the best man to give the happy couple a clock whilst the maid of honour gives a tea set.
Where might I find this?
Aberdeen & Grampian

Feet Washing
The custom of feet-washing still happens throughout Scotland and it is hoped that it will guarantee good fortune for the marriage. The bride sits on a stool while an older, married woman washes and dries her feet. In Fife, however, only a few, heartened bridegrooms go through the traditional procedure, which involves sitting in a tub of water while his legs are smeared with grease, ash and soot.
Where might I find this?
Angus & Dundee, Fife

Creeling
In the South of Scotland, a married couple are 'creeled' as they leave the church. Two people at either side of the door hold a fishing basked which is tied with a ribbon across the door. The newlyweds then cut the ties and the basket falls to the ground. It is hoped that this tradition will bring health and prosperity to the couple.
Where might I find this?
Scottish Borders

The Bride's Cog
Wedding cogs are vessels from which ale is consumed at Orcadian weddings. These cogs were undoubtedly the most essential of all the ingredients that made up an old island wedding whilst still being a prominent feature today.

The exact mixture which now goes into the cog varies with every wedding, as each family tends to have its own views on the correct recipe. Despite the family variations, the base ingredients of this potent alcoholic mixture are usually hot ale, gin, brandy and whisky mixed with sugar and pepper.

The cog is firstly drank by the bride before being passed around the hall, constantly being replenished so that nobody goes dry!
Where might I find this?
Orkney

A 'Second Night'
A 'second night' is normally held the night following a wedding - where people can enjoy another night of drinking and dancing!
Where might I find this?
Shetland


We're getting married in Shetland and we will be having the Grand March and Second Night. We've actually got the hall booked for THREE nights - for the cleaning up party on the third night!

Another local tradition my friend told me about is to have a "married man and married wife" - two people already in happy marriages, one from the groom's side of the family and one from the bride's side of the family. I'm not sure what their roles are, just to advise the couple and help make sure the wedding runs smoothly I think. We probably won't be doing that because David's side of the family is so small, he would struggle to find someone!

Just a few more ideas anyway!

nice to see there are a few brides-to-be from Aberdeenshire on here :)