It’s that time again, time to settle down with a warm cappuccino, or maybe an Irish coffee, and dive into the rich cultural tapestry of another wedding. Clearly, with St. Patrick’s Day being tomorrow, no other country would be appropriate to divulge its wedding day traditions then the Irish. I am excited to be a part of Celtic wedding this summer with my partner, Pam Gibson of Events by Pam. As with any other country, there are regional traditions stemming from, in this case, from the clan of origin. However, there are some elements that transgress the rolling hills of Ireland and I wanted to magnify my favorite.
I personally have a love for Meade, which is most closely related to wine in consistency, but is a brewed honey. It is a delightfully refreshing treat to standard wines or beers at your reception. One traditional meade out of Ireland is Bunratty Meade, which was served at the Bunratty Castle medieval banquet.
It’s from a recipe based on the oldest drink in Ireland and if you’ve never tasted it, it’s well worth trying. In the old days, it was consumed at weddings because it was thought that it promoted virility. The Irish translation for honeymoon is ‘mi na meala’, or the month of honey. An old Irish custom was for the newlyweds to spend a month together drinking honey wine from special goblets and, at the end of the month, the bride was usually expecting (If a baby was born nine months after the wedding, it was attributed to the mead!). Drinking meade was also believed to protect the couple from the fairies coming to spirit the bride away.
(goblet)
Meade is actually very easy to brew yourself, and could be a fantastic favor for your guest. If you’re not the do it yourself kind of gal, or just want a skillfully crafted custom meade, check out BNektar. As a native to Michigan, I am always looking to support another Michigan based business. The owners of BNektar have a variety of meades to suit your needs, including custom flavors such as chocolate raspberry and ginger for your special affair or award winning flavors like wild berry pyment and vanilla cinnamon.
“Sláinte” (pronounced SLAWN-cha, means ‘Cheers’ or ‘To good health’).
