6 Wedding Tips from the Celtic Goddess Brigid

Plan a fun & blessed Pagan wedding: Tips from Celtic Goddess Brigid

 

Goddess Brigid – the Celtic Goddess of Healers, Poets, and Hearth – is an integral guest at many Pagan weddings and handfastings. Having been married a couple times herself*, she can certainly offer us a few helpful wedding tips, too! 

 

You’ll find offerings to Goddess Brigid (Brighid) upon the marriage altar, and hear her name recited in wedding blessings. And as the protector of home and children, a divine source of inspiration, the patroness of war and smiths, female sage, and the daughter of Dagda – ancestral God of life and death, Druidry and magic, fertility and family – Brigid is the very essence of marriage! 

 

Related: The Oathing Stone: A Modern Twist on a Traditional Scottish Unity Ceremony

 

But Brigid’s lessons actually start long before your marriage begins – with helpful advice for the wedding ceremony and celebration.

 

Keep reading for Pagan wedding tips from Goddess Brigid! 

 

1. Add a Wedding Poem to the Ceremony 

 

As the Goddess of Poets and divine inspiration, Brigid would never let you get married without including a handpicked wedding poem! Sit down with your partner and decide on a verse or two to include in your wedding or handfasting ceremony. Choose a poem that reminds you of your relationship, describes your perfect marriage, or that honors your culture and faith. Then, ask a close relative or friend to stand and read the poem during your ceremony! 

 

Related: 5 Irish Wedding Traditions for an Inspired Ceremony

 

 

2. Write Your Own Wedding Vows

 

Goddess Brigid is here to help you write your own wedding vows! As the Goddess of Poets and the artistic spark of inspiration, she can help you find the perfect words to express your love and devotion. 

 

Leave offerings of milk, bread, and honey on your home altar to ask for Brigid’s blessing – then make a little snack of your own to keep that creativity flowing! Write from the heart, make promises for your future, and consider the advice linked below: 

 

• How to Write Wedding Vows Using the Three Question Template

 

• How Long Should Wedding Vows Be? 

 

• Read All Wedding Vow Examples

 

 

3. Compromise With Your Partner

 

Compromise is the key to a happy marriage, and a happy wedding celebration! Brigid’s first marriage to (the unpopular but very handsome) High King Bres was all about compromise – an arranged alliance to make peace between the Tuatha Dé Danann and Fomori people. Carry this same spirit of peacemaking into your own celebration by trading off on details like decor, venue, wedding date, and unity rituals. 

 

After all, the most important part of the wedding day is your new marriage – the rest is just icing on the cake.  

 

Related: Dealing with Family Dynamics: Your Guide to a Drama Free Wedding Ceremony

 

 

Include children in your wedding ceremony for a sweet and lively celebration! (Photo: Tetiana Iablokova / iStock)

 

 

4. Include Children in Your Wedding Ceremony

 

Follow the lead of Pagan Goddess Brigid by including children in your wedding ceremony! Children can participate by reading short wedding poems, tossing petals as flower girl or ‘flower fairy,’ presenting a handfasting cord at the start of a handfasting ceremony, and many other ways! 

 

Here are a few of our favorite ways to include children in a lovely Pagan wedding:  

 

• Reader (give a short wedding reading)
• Family wedding vows / Vows to the children
• Flower girl / flower child
• Ring bearer
• Cord bearer
• Page (hold the train of a bride’s dress / dress hem)
• Junior bridesmaid / groomsman / attendant
• Greet guests
• Ask guests to sign the guest book
• Help with decorations before the ceremony

 

Related: Fun Ways to Include Kids in Your Elopement Plans

 

 

 

5. Consider DIY Wedding Ideas to Save Money

 

Goddess Brigid keeps smiths and artisans safe, and creativity flowing – so you might say she’s the divine force behind your DIY dream wedding! In her honor, consider handmade decor and backdrops, a homemade or locally-made wedding cake, a DIY wedding bouquet, handmade wedding favors, and other crafted items to cut down on your wedding costs.

 

If you’re not into DIY, consider hiring local artists, artisans, bakers, and makers for a one-of-a-kind custom wedding experience. Bridid would be proud! 

 

 

6. Include a Wedding Fire Ceremony

 

Honor Brigid’s associations with the fire element on your wedding day! Have a Unity Candle Ceremony, ask guests to wave sparklers as you exit down the aisle, or celebrate as newlyweds around a wedding bonfire! You might also want to add a Ring Warming Ceremony (symbolic of Brigid’s warmth), place symbolic offerings in a ceremonial fire, or bring fire symbolism into your decor with lanterns, fiery cocktails, bouquets of flame lilies, and color accents. There are many ways to incorporate fire symbolism into your ceremony! 

 

* Note: Some interpretations of Irish mythology and Celtic lore depict Brigid as unmarried – a virgin Goddess of creativity and healing, not marriage. Others believe she married only once, to Bres, while still others believe she had a second marriage to Tuireann (after being widowed). This last interpretation is the one we embrace for this article – as one of the most beloved deities in the Celtic Pagan faiths, Brigid’s influence and importance has become truly individual. We hope you find some advice here that resonates with you! 
See Our Minister Ordination Package!

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More Pagan Wedding Ideas

 

• Marriage Advice From 5 Ancient Gods & Goddesses
   
• A Simple Guide to Handfasting Cord Color (Meaning & Magic)
   
• When Pagans Wed: Modern Paganism & the Wedding Ritual
   
• Wedding Ideas to Honor Hera Goddess of Marriage
   

 

Hera’s Blessing: Click the article linked above to read 5 Pagan wedding ideas to celebrate Hera, Greek Goddess of Marriage, on the wedding day ( Photo: Kosamtu / iStock)

 

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Have a Friend Officiate Your Wedding with Online Ordination Through AMM

 

Personalize your wedding ceremony even more by having a friend or family member serve as your wedding officiant! Friends can officiate a wedding by getting ordained online with American Marriage Ministries. Our ordinations are free and it only takes a couple seconds to complete the online application to become a minister.

ORDAINED MINISTER ONLINE APPLICATION

Why choose AMM? American Marriage Ministries is an inclusive nondenominational internet church that ordains and trains ministers to officiate marriage ceremonies. We are a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit church, and help people from all backgrounds and beliefs become ordained ministers for weddings. Our online ordination is free, accessible, and never expires.

AMM Ministers can legally officiate weddings in every state* (it's much harder in Virginia, where we're looking into our options). After getting ordained with AMM, you might need to register your ordination with your local county clerk’s office. Click the link above to get started! 

 

 

Become an ordained minister online with American Marriage Ministries and officiate wedding for friends and relatives. (Photo: iStock)

 

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