Did you understand anything? Does Scottish English understandable to you? Or maybe you are Scottish and these kind of movies aren’t really funny to you? Leave your opinions in the comment section.

When I first became a wedding photographer in Edinburgh I was surprised at the number of people who did not live in Scotland that wanted to get married here. From people who moved away as children to those who simply fell in love with the country or city it was apparent that a large number of people who did not live here wanted to get married in Edinburgh.

This ranged from people just over the border in England to a couple who came from Australia that organised their whole wedding online and only arrived in Edinburgh a week before their wedding!

Wanting to get married in a place that you do not live obviously adds a lot of complications. Thanks to the internet this is somewhat reduced however it will either involve a lot of travelling or hoping that your vendors are up to your requirements and forgoing the face to face meeting.

A wedding in Scotland can also be that little bit different. While the wedding gown tends to be similar to that worn in England (despite what gets shown in the magazines there are relatively few brides who get married in tartan) however for the man there is always the choice of the kilt.

The kilt is now very much in fashion again – from being worn at rugby matches or being worn with a t-shirt on a night out to being worn with the Prince Charlie jacket at a wedding you do see a lot of them around. Interestingly when my parent’s got married they were totally out of fashion and everyone was getting married in shiny suits with collars you could hang glide in.

However the kilt is still very much a personal choice – if not of the groom then of his bride. Unlike the traditional 3 piece suit the kilts of the groomsmen are not expected to match. Each man wears his own tartan. If you don’t have a tartan though – not to worry there are a huge selection of modern tartans made for people without a clan, there are tartans for cities, sports clubs and universities. At our wedding we had 4 groomsmen, 3 wore kilts and one a three piece suit.

That tends to be the way weddings go now. Suits or kilts are considerered equally appropriate. However I believe that the kilts are meant to be far more comfy.

If you are at a wedding in Scotland then it’s a great excuse to get dressed up and hire a kilt. Proper kilts are very expensive and come in at around £400 for the whole thing, however there are a large number of shops that will hire you a kilt for around £80. Slaters is good, as is McCalls. Although you probably could pick up a “tourist kilt set” for around this price I really, really, really discourage you from doing so. The quality is just awful.

The other advantage of hiring a kilt is that the person in the shop will measure you up properly and show you how to put the whole thing on. It’s not complicated but you really need to be shown as it is very different. The first time my husband put on a kilt he put it on backwards! Kilts are however apparently really very comfy.

Remember to book early so that you definitely get a kilt your size and you get the tartan you want, although hire tartans are limited. If you can’t get to the shop to be measured in person then you can just phone in your measurements, pick the suit up on the Friday and drop it off again on the Sunday for a Saturday wedding. What could be simpler?

So in conclusion, you don’t have to wear a kilt, but it’s great fun and all the ladies love them so why not?

By: A Matter of Wedding Photography

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Fiona Matters is a wedding photographer based in Edinburgh and the Lothians in Scotland.

If you have any queries about anything wedding related in Edinburgh then please don’t hesitate to get in touch and I will do my best to help you.

www.weddingphotography-edinburgh.co.uk

If you were preparing for battle and could only bring three weapons, which would they be? Ancient Scottish warriors would have brought a Claymore for their primary weapon and a Scottish Dirk with matching Sgian Dubh for their backup.

Claymore swords had blades that were notoriously large and double-edged. These swords were basically like customized Scottish Hand And A Half Swords if you take the time to examine both styles.

This type of blade configuration was perfect for making many different types of cuts while also allowing for excellent defense.

The Scottish Dirk is well known for its SHARP “dagger-like” point which was ground to a very thin edge. These knives can come with either a single or double edge construction. Double edged Scottish Dirks allow you to have lots of cutting power, but they are also twice as dangerous so buy these with caution!

In case two swords aren’t enough, the Sgian Dubh provides quite an amazing backup to the Claymore and Scottish Dirk. While the Claymore was usually carried in the warrior’s hand, and the Dirk was worn on the belt, the Sgian Dubh is small enough to fit in a sock or pocket! This “knife” is shaped just like the Scottish Dirk and has a very sharp point.

Many knife companies today have knives designed after the legendary Sgian Dubh, and they are constantly growing in popularity.

Beware though; Sgian Dubhs were traditionally made to be “daggers”. Some states have laws specifically making it illegal to carry daggers.

So what does a Scottish Claymore look like? You can notice these swords in a crowd because of their long, straight blades with a double edge. Scottish Claymores will also have a cross guard that always intersects with the blade and is either totally straight, or slightly angled.

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