Welsh Wedding Traditions and Love Spoons

Welsh wedding tradition runs deeper than the ceremony content covered in the ceremony traditions article - several customs sit around the wedding more broadly, worth knowing whether you're planning a fully traditional Welsh wedding or just want to weave in a meaningful element or two.

The love spoon (llwy garu) is the tradition most people have at least heard of, even if they don't know the detail - a wooden spoon, traditionally hand-carved, given as a token of affection. Historically it was a courtship gift rather than strictly a wedding-day item - a young man would carve a spoon to present to the woman he was courting, with different carved symbols (hearts, keys, wheels, chains) each carrying their own meaning about love, commitment, or partnership. Today, love spoons appear at various points around Welsh weddings - as a gift between the couple, as a groomsman or bridesmaid gift, or as a decorative element referencing the tradition rather than a literal courtship token. A carved or engraved spoon makes a genuinely meaningful anniversary gift too, if you want to extend the tradition beyond the wedding day itself.

The Welsh wedding cake tradition historically involved a rich fruit cake similar to the wider British tradition (see wedding cake traditions), though modern Welsh weddings follow the same broad range of choices as the rest of the UK.

The "bidding" tradition (gwahoddwr), historically a formal invitation process where a designated "bidder" would travel around inviting guests in person and often collecting contributions toward the wedding costs, has largely died out as a literal practice but is sometimes referenced in more traditional or heritage-conscious weddings as a nod to Welsh wedding history.

Music and choral tradition, referenced in the ceremony article, extends into the reception too - traditional Welsh folk songs and hymns are a natural fit for speeches, first dances, or simply as background through the evening for couples wanting to lean into Welsh heritage throughout the day, not just during the ceremony itself.

As with every tradition on this site: optional, not obligatory. Plenty of Welsh weddings include none of the above and are no less valid for it.