An upright horseshoe signifies luck and helps discourage malign spirits.
Honor the heritage of your Celtic friends when they wed by giving something that honors the traditions of their heritage. Your gift will be appreciated by a bride and groom who feel a connection to their ancestors and culture. Although traditional Celtic gift items differ from the kind of wedding gifts you usually proffer, they have a deeper meaning than a toaster, blender or silverware place setting.

Porcelain Bell

• Many traditions attach to the giving of a bell as a wedding gift. According to some experts in Celtic lore, the bell serves to remind the couple that bells rang on their wedding day. Others hold that ringing the bell can be a signal to kiss and make up after the couple quarrels. Another tale connected to the giving of bells as wedding gifts says the sound of a bell will dispel evil spirits in the home.
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Blessing Gift Items

• Beyond their practical use, salt and pepper shakers have a symbolic meaning when given as gifts to a newlywed couple. They confer a blessing that the couple always have enough food and never experience hunger. Just as salt and pepper signify "never hunger," wine glasses given to the new couple carry the meaning that they never go thirsty. Similarly, a gift of candlestick holders means you wish the couple's home always have light.

 

 Magic Handkerchief

• Giving an Irish linen or Irish lace handkerchief to a bride recognizes the solid commitment of the couple to each other as they take their vows. There are varying traditions related to this gift. According to one tradition, the bride saves this item and uses it to dry the face of her first baby on its Christening day. Another version says the bride sews the handkerchief into a hat for the baby to wear on that occasion, then restores it to its original form to give that child when it grows up and has its own wedding. Make sure there is not already a family handkerchief being passed down if you consider giving one of these.
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Horseshoe

• A horseshoe carries the connotation of good luck. Some Celtic brides carry one on their wedding day, which the couple later nails over the front door of their home. Celtic folklore holds that the iron with which horseshoes were traditionally made warded off mischievious spirits such as fairies. The horseshoe is always upright "so the luck won't run out."