In traditional marriage ceremonies in Scotland, one of the special parts of the ceremony includes the pinning of the tartan. The tartan refers to a cloth that bears the checkered pattern often used in the creation of kilts. Tartan was traditionally created from woven cloth, but today, more and more couples settle for tartans made from other materials or fabrics.

The ceremonial pinning of the tartan varies depending on whether the groom or his bride is accepted into a clan. If it is the woman who is being married into the groom’s clan, then someone from the groom’s family will give the bride the clan’s tartan, which takes the form of either a wedding sash or a rosette pin that bears the clan badge.

Usually the presentation of the tartan consists of the pinning or the dressing of the bride as a sign of acceptance into the clan. In most cases, it is the groom who dresses or pins his bride, but there are some instances when the bridegroom’s mother pins the tartan onto the blushing bride. There are also cases in which a sword is given by the groom to his bride as a present for their first son.

If it is the groom who is being accepted into the bride’s family, it is the bride’s father, her mother or her oldest male kin who presents the clan kilt, which the groom must wear after the reception or wedding ceremony. The groom may also be presented with a wedding sash that is secured by the bride’s clan badge.

There are three primary ways by which the wedding sash is dressed or pinned on the bride. The sash can be draped over the bride’s right shoulder, and folded back over her shoulder. The wedding sash is then pinned to the bride’s shoulder using the groom’s clan badge or brooch.

Another option is to have the sash draped over the bride’s right shoulder and then wrapped across her chest in a diagonal manner under her left arm. The wedding sash is then passed once again over her right shoulder from the back and then pinned down by the clan badge.

Lastly, the wedding sash can be worn over the right shoulder and brought diagonally from the chest to her left hip. The sash is then again brought diagonally at the back and laid to overlap the front piece of the sash to rest again on the left hip where it is pinned down by the clan brooch.

See a preview on how Scottish weddings are done. Just watch the video below.