This post was last updated on May 24th, 2025 at 03:53 pm
Some Welsh wedding customs, like Ystafell (meaning “chamber” or “room”), originate exclusively from Cymru (Wales). In this tradition, the bride-to-be presents all her dowry and household goods to show that she’s well-prepared for marriage. Other customs, like handfasting, were adopted from elsewhere, such as Ireland or Europe.
Although times change, as they say, many of the Welsh wedding customs from rural Wales began in the Middle Ages and continued into the 19th century. And that’s not surprising when you consider the powerful connection to the land, traditions, and community that Cymru is known for. The wild places of the country are known for their breathtaking natural beauty, mysterious (and sometimes downright terrifying!) folklore, and larger-than-life legends such as that of King Arthur. In addition to all of that, these areas also boast their own unique Welsh wedding traditions dating back to medieval times.
Some of these marriage customs include Ystafell Priodas (“Marriage Room”), Bridenapping, myrtle in the bridal bouquet, birdsong on the morning of the wedding, Priodas â Galwad (a special wedding invitation practice), handfasting, jumping the broom, Priodas Fach (“Little Wedding”), and Pwrs a Gwregys (“Purse and Girdle,” a gift-giving practice). Some date to the Iron Age, while others became popular much later. Although, for the most part, these practices have declined over the years, people still practice certain customs in the modern day or participate in reenactments. As Celtic weddings become increasingly popular, we may see even more elements of traditional Welsh weddings in the future.
This post is about Welsh wedding customs.
Welsh Wedding Customs
Ystafell or Ystafell Priodas (Marriage Room)
A Welsh wedding custom that can make the claim that it is exclusively Welsh is Ystafell. The word translates to “chamber” or “room.” To give you more context, the custom was sometimes called “Ystafell Priodas,” which means “Marriage Room.” Ystafell typically took place the day before the wedding. Some places had specific days for this tradition, such as the Friday before.
For Ystafell, the bride collected and displayed, often with the help of family and friends, all her household goods, furnishings, and personal belongings. She was showcasing her dowry so that her husband-to-be could see she was entering the marriage well-prepared. The groom also had to provide certain things: the bed frame, a dresser, a table and chairs, a pot, and other things depending on how people performed the custom in a particular region of Cymru. Family and friends might also gather with the couple and serve food and drink to celebrate.
Bridenapping (or Bride Stealing)
As a tradition in Welsh wedding customs, bridenapping showed the bride’s passage from her family to her husband’s. It was also a way for the husband-to-be to show his male worthiness and claim his wife. Bridenapping combines the words “bride” and “kidnapping.” While this might sound shocking to us in the modern age, bridenapping was a folk tradition carried out as a playful act and was not a literal abduction. The bride’s family would “kidnap” her, and it was up to the groom and his family to find and rescue her.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, in rural parts of west and north Wales, bridenapping had become a celebrated ritual with many variations. Sometimes, it consisted of a chase where the mounted groom pursued the bride’s cart. In another form of bridenapping, the bride hid in another house, and the groom would go from house to house to find her. He might have to sing or answer riddles in the process. Upon locating her, he might have to negotiate with gifts or humorous bribes for the bride’s family and friends to release her.
A Myrtle Bouquet in Welsh Wedding Customs
At a Welsh wedding, the bride often carried myrtle leaves in her bouquet. In Wales, people associated the myrtle plant with fertility, love, and marriage, just as in many other cultures. The association began in the ancient Mediterranean and later spread to parts of Western Europe and the British Isles. In Welsh weddings, myrtle was thought to bring the couple a happy marriage and good fortune. Another fun aspect of this custom is that the bride gave her bridesmaids small myrtle shoots to plant. If a bridesmaid’s myrtle cutting took root and grew into a plant, it was a sign that she’d be the next to marry. The bride also planted a cutting herself after the wedding day. A successfully thriving plant showed a blessed and fruitful union.
It’s hard to peg the exact date myrtle first appeared in Welsh wedding customs. However, we know that brides used myrtle in the 19th century. During the Victorian Era, the custom became even more popular when Queen Victoria carried myrtle in her own bridal bouquet in 1840. However, people in Cymru likely got the custom from earlier folk traditions, and the Queen’s appreciation of the plant only strengthened the tradition.
Morning Birdsong in Welsh Wedding Customs
Birdsong in Welsh wedding customs was more lore than practice, though it was a meaningful part of the day. On the morning of the wedding, brides-to-be considered it a lucky sign to hear birds singing pleasantly outside. She considered the songs of certain birds, such as robins, larks, swallows, doves, and wrens, to be favorable omens for her upcoming marriage. However, the songs of some birds, like owls or ravens, may have been viewed as more of a bad omen or a warning of some kind. In some places, a lone magpie was also seen this way, though this was part of a broader superstition across Britain. These beliefs about birds may come from a woman in the Mabinogion named Branwen ferch Llŷr (Branwen, daughter of Llŷr). She used a starling when sending a message across the sea—hence the belief that birds are messengers.
Priodas â Galwad: Bidding Wedding
“Priodas â Galwad” roughly translates to English as “wedding with a call/invitation.” It refers to the tradition in Welsh wedding customs of holding a “bidding wedding.” In this sense, “bidding” is to invite someone to come to an event. The Gwahoddwr, or Bidder, was usually a respected member of the community. He or she went door to door to officially invite the guests. The Gwahoddwr often did this through poems, verse, or even with the help of a musical instrument, such as a fiddle. Guests who accepted would contribute to the couple through gifts such as food, money, or livestock.
A Celtic Wedding Ceremony
Some Welsh wedding customs incorporated pre-Christian rituals from Wales’ Celtic past. One such ritual was “handfasting.” The custom came to Britain from Europe and started as an engagement period of a year and a day. The man and woman stood before a priest with their hands bound with a ribbon or braided cord, showing they intended to see if they were a good fit. After the year was over, they could then decide to go ahead and marry or part ways if they chose. Later, people incorporated handfasting into the wedding ceremony itself. This custom is where we get the phrase “tie the knot!”
Another Celtic tradition incorporated into Welsh weddings was “priodas coes ysgub,” which means “jumping the broom.” This custom represents the boundary between the wilderness and the home. The couple would leap over a broomstick together after reciting their wedding vows. As they did this, the priest recited a prayer or poem. A couple in Wales who jumped the broom together were acknowledging their new life together of hearth and home.
Pwrs a Gwregys (Purse and Girdle)
The custom of Pwrs a Gwregys (Purse and Girdle) was similar to what we would call a bridal shower, except that it took place at the wedding itself and reflected the needs of the times. There were no formal registries. Family and friends of the couple brought gifts to get the newlyweds off to a good start in their new life together. Presents included butter, cheese, blankets, wooden trunks, feather beds, utensils, pots and pans, and tableware. Money was, of course, also given and welcome.
Priodas Fach (Little Wedding)
Perhaps the most important of all these Welsh wedding customs is Priodas Fach, or “Little Wedding,” which has a special significance in rural Wales. This was a practice of informal marriage that took place without a church ceremony or any official papers. Couples simply lived together as husband and wife. The community acknowledged their union as valid, usually through a social gathering.
One reason the Priodas Fach was due to the Marriage Act of 1753 in the UK, which made it mandatory for couples to have a formal church ceremony for their marriage to be considered legal. Communities in rural Wales found the act intrusive. Not all families could afford a church ceremony and a traditional wedding. Priodas Fach made it possible for people to get married on their terms and start a life together.
A lot has changed since the days of bridenapping and Ystafell, but many couples still incorporate elements of the old Welsh customs into modern weddings. If you’re ready to tie the knot with your beloved and are looking for Welsh wedding ideas, check out these 18 stunning venues selected by WalesOnline.
This post was about Welsh wedding customs.
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