Highland weddings have their own unique character. They are full of traditional rituals and specific music and dances. They are organized mainly in Podhale, but nothing stands in the way of organizing a real highlander wedding also in another region of Poland. How to do it? we suggest!
- Mountain wedding - what to pay attention to?
- Highlander wedding - facts and myths
- Highlander wedding - the most important elements
- Menu for a highlander wedding
- Decorations for a highlander wedding
- How to organize a highlander wedding?
- Organization of a traditional wedding
- What distinguishes a highlander wedding?
Mountain wedding - what to pay attention to?
They play an important role at a highland wedding elements of highlander folklore. The young couple and guests often dress in traditional highlander clothes, such as corsets, skirts with frills, white shirts with traditional embroidery, woolen trousers and hats. A highlander wedding cannot be missed traditional dishes. On the tables you can find regional specialties, such as oscypek (cheese made from sheep's milk), sour soup (sauerkraut soup, sometimes with mutton) or bryndza (rennet sheep's cheese). There can also be many meat dishes, usually mutton with the addition of vegetables or game. In addition, delicious potato hałuski, i.e. highlander dumplings. Or moskole, pancakes made of boiled potatoes, baked on a baking sheet, sometimes served with oscypek cheese. And for dessert – bombolki, i.e. yeast dumplings topped with melted butter and honey.
Music and dance they play a key role at a highlander wedding. Traditional instruments such as gusle, violin, bass, pipe, trumpet and highland bagpipes are often played. Highlander weddings are usually very joyful, full of fun. There is dancing, singing and improvised musical performances throughout the night. Various competitions, games and fortune-telling for guests are often organized.
It is worth noting that the traditions of highlander weddings may vary depending on the particular town and region, but they always have their own unique character and are an important part of highlander culture and heritage.
Highlander wedding - facts and myths
At a highlander wedding, we will see how the young couple goes to the wedding in a sleigh or a carriage, depending on the season. Gentlemen will wear traditional, embroidered highlander white shirts. The number of guests will be really large. The bride's outfit will be a replica of old folk costumes, or will refer to them in style. In the wedding hall, the party will last until dawn, the first dance of the Bride and Groom will, of course, be a folk dance. A colorful procession will leave the Bride's house.
This is how we imagine a traditional highlander wedding. right? After all, not always a highlander wedding begins with traditional songs. And before the highlander wedding, the Young Couple does not have to receive a blessing from their parents. A veil does not always flutter around the Bride's head, and it is not always decorated with a wreath. And as for the bride's dress, it does not necessarily have to fit into the highlander wedding pattern.
So when organizing a wedding, even in a highlander style, do we have to follow this image? Nowadays, the organization of a highlander wedding requires a certain amount of criticism, so that it does not come out of the so-called. trivia. Highland wedding it can be atmospheric, unique, unrepeatable, but we must be sure that this specific style suits us. So a wedding - folk, highland style, but in moderation!
Highlander wedding - the most important elements
A wedding in the mountains has its own unique charm. And it doesn't matter if we dream of a traditional highlander-style wedding or just dream about it wedding with a mountain view. Today, even in a typical highlander culture, traditional highlander weddings are rarely organized. However, it is worth knowing what are the most important elements of a highlander wedding.
A wedding with a mountain view?
Outfits
Both the Young Couple and the guests often dress in traditional highlander costumes. For women, these are beautiful embroidered corsets and colorful, multi-layered skirts. Men, on the other hand, wear white, colorfully embroidered shirts, trousers made of broadcloth with the motif of padanice, jackets, kierpce and hats with a feather.
Wedding ceremony
A highland wedding usually begins with a solemn wedding ceremony in the church. The young couple dressed in traditional highlander clothes enters the temple during special highlander songs and music.
Music and dance
Music and dance play a key role at a highlander wedding. Traditional instruments such as violins, basses, gusles and bagpipes are often played. Popular highlander dances, such as krakowiak, czardas, polka, are performed by the bride and groom and all wedding participants. The bandit dance, on the other hand, is performed only by men.
wedding supper
On wedding hall traditional highlander dishes cannot be missed. These can be oscypek, sour soup, bryndza and many other regional specialties.
Wishes and toasts
During the wedding reception, guests wish the newlyweds, often in the form of poems or toasts. This is the moment when everyone celebrates the marriage of the bride and groom together.
Games and contests
A highlander wedding is a time of joyful fun and competitions for guests. These can be traditional games, but fortune-telling is also organized to help predict the future of the Bride and Groom.
Improvised musical performances
During a traditional highlander wedding, there are often improvised musical performances. Guests can present their vocal or instrumental skills, as well as perform dances that match the lively music.
Menu for a highlander wedding
Menu for a highlander wedding may consist of traditional regional dishes that will emphasize the authenticity and taste of this special day. They can also be more modern dishes, inspired only by traditional highlander cuisine.
As snacks and appetizers you can serve wedding guests oscypek cheese with cranberries, potato pancakes with highlander bacon or highlander pancakes with sour cream and dill. highlander soup? Of course, sour soup with sausage. Main course it can be roast lamb with herbs and pickled vegetables, pork neck in cranberry sauce, bryndzové halušky or potato pancakes with goulash.
When it comes to desserts, apple pie with crumble, cheesecake or poppy seed cake with nuts and raisins will always work. Also, pancakes with cheese and plum jam may appeal to guests, especially the younger ones.
These delicacies are best served with a drink craft beer – good draft beers are an additional attraction for wedding guests. Lovers of stronger drinks can be offered traditional highlander slivovitz.
These are, of course, only examples of proposals, it is worth adapting them to your and your guests' preferences. It is important that the menu includes traditional highlander flavors and dishes to introduce an authentic atmosphere at a highlander wedding and surprise the wedding guests with new flavors. Especially that regional cuisine is very fashionable now.
Decorations for a highlander wedding
When starting the organization of a wedding, we should already have a vision of this celebration in our heads. Also when it comes to decorations. At a highland wedding, decorations are often traditional in nature, referring to highland culture and folklore. For example wedding tables can be decorated with embroidered napkins, which are a characteristic element of highlander crafts. Napkins can have floral, animal or geometric patterns.
And on the tables? Highlander weddings are often decorated with fresh flowers, such as gypsophila, carnations, roses or lilies. You can create beautiful bouquets, decorate tables and wedding space with compositions of wild or meadow flowers. It is worth adding decorative garlands of dried flowers, leaves or cones, which will create a rustic atmosphere. Garlands can be placed on tables, walls, doors or balustrades. Tables and chairs covered with colorful, embroidered or lace fabrics will also suit a highlander wedding. You can also use strips of decorative material to decorate the space, for example on railings or doors.
Use too traditional mountain decorationssuch as decorative beads, wooden carvings, handmade lace and embroidered pillows. They can be placed on tables, on the bride's veil, on chairs or on the walls. And take care of the romantic atmosphere with lanterns, candlesticks and candles. Place them on the tables, on the floor or along the paths leading to the wedding hall. To further emphasize the traditional look of the wedding, it is worth choosing crockery and cutlery with a rustic character - clay or wooden. You can also use services with a highlander theme, decorated with patterns from the region.
However, if you want to avoid too literal decorations, use only mountain motifs - wooden branches, miniatures of mountains or maps of hiking trails. In this way, you will refer to the Owl Mountains, Stołowe Mountains, the Karkonosze Mountains or the Tatra Mountains.
How to organize a highlander wedding?
Organizing a highlander wedding can be a pleasant and exciting task. Here are some steps that can help you organize it:
- Choosing a location - the first step is choosing the right location for a highlander wedding. It can be a traditional mountain hut, a banquet hall in a highlander style or another object that fits the theme. Make sure the place has the right space for guests and the right atmosphere. For example, selecting on wedding daboutSilesiawe have plenty to choose from. Lots of mountain resorts, great outdoors, also ideal for weddings in the garden - that's what we'll find, for example in Sosnówka, in Dwór Korona Karkonoszy.
- Date and invitations - choose a convenient one wedding date and start sending invitations. Remember that it doesn't have to be wedding in July if wedding reception in June. Winter weddings they have a lot of charm! You can invite guests with traditional paper invitations or use electronic invitations. Remember to include information about the style of the wedding and the theme.
- Costumes - highlander weddings are often an opportunity to dress in traditional highlander clothes. They can be rented or purchased in stores specializing in regional clothing. Or just add a few regional, folk accents to an ordinary creation.
- Menu - compose a wedding menu, taking into account traditional highlander dishes. Oscypek, bryndza, sour soup, cold meats, roasted meats and regional desserts are a popular choice. Consult with cateringto ensure the authenticity and taste of traditional dishes.
- Music and dance - hire a music band or DJ who know highlander melodies and traditional dances.
- Decorations - take care of decorating the wedding space in a highlander style. Use embroidered napkins, decorative garlands, flowers, traditional ornaments, candlesticks, lanterns and decorative fabrics. Make sure that the decorations refer to the highland culture and create an authentic atmosphere.
- Traditions and games - finally, introduce traditional elements of highlander culture to the wedding, such as competitions, fortune-telling, dances and improvised musical performances. During highlander weddings, guests often sing along with musicians, creating emotional moments. Highlander songs are usually full of feelings and convey an important message.
Organization of a traditional wedding
Traditional wedding and wedding in Poland should take place in some charming place, in beautiful surroundings. It will be the best wedding hall with garden. The bride should wear a traditional white dress and the groom an elegant suit. The menu should be classic, with no culinary surprises. The decorations of the wedding hall are chic, the atmosphere is slightly elevated. And a few more traditional rituals: parents' blessing, greeting the Bride and Groom with bread and salt, oczepiny. Here is a recipe for a traditional wedding.
What distinguishes a highlander wedding?
A highland wedding is distinguished by many characteristic features that reflect the culture and heritage of the mountain region. A highlander wedding is strongly rooted in tradition. The bride and groom and all participants of the wedding cherish regional customs, passing on unique traditions from generation to generation. That is why the bride and groom often wear traditional clothes at a highlander wedding. These richly decorated and handcrafted clothes reflect regional patterns, giving a unique character to the celebration. Highlander music is also a distinguishing element of a highlander wedding, just like regional cuisine. The flavors and aromas of highland cuisine are a pleasant surprise for guests from other parts of the country.
In addition, a highland wedding is often an event in which the entire community participates. Family, friends and neighbors come together to honor the Bride and Groom and celebrate together. This creates a unique community atmosphere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a real highland wedding look like?
At a large highland wedding, the traditional element of the wedding is certainly the outfit. The bride and groom and guests often dress in traditional highlander costumes. Women wear embroidered corsets, and men wear hats with a feather and kierpce. The costumes are richly decorated and refer to regional folklore. The young couple in these traditional costumes enters the temple, and this is accompanied by highlander music, also present later during the wedding. A highlander wedding is full of singing and dancing, as well as spontaneous performances by homegrown, usually talented musicians. The wedding menu often refers to the flavors of traditional highland cuisine, including drinks. This is the time when all guests can taste the authentic flavors of highlander cuisine.
How long does a highland wedding last?
The duration of a highland wedding may vary depending on the individual preferences of the bride and groom and the organizers, as well as on a specific regional tradition. Usually, however, a traditional highland wedding is an event lasting several days. While a traditional wedding in other regions of Poland lasts two days, highlanders often organize parties lasting at least several days, where all the guests have fun until dawn day after day. In the tradition of highlander weddings, boisterous fun is an obligatory element.
Highland wedding traditions?
A highland wedding is full of many traditions that are deeply rooted in the culture and heritage of the highland region. Here are some customs typical of a highlander wedding: greeting with bread and salt - symbols of abundance and a common future; moving the bride to a new home and introducing her to a new family; various traditional rituals at the table; dances to traditional music; traditional highlander songs. If we care about preserving the tradition, it is best for the highlander wedding to be organized by the inhabitants of these lands from the grandfather of the great-grandfather, who remember the old rituals. Highland wedding customs certainly make the ceremony and fun something unique. A traditional highland wedding is a grand wedding, it should last even several days.