Looking for a proper Irish wedding blessing? You've come to the right place. These are the best Irish wedding toasts, blessings, and well-wishes.
“May the road rise to meet you…” is probably the quintessential Irish wedding blessing. Life is a journey, and a wedding is the start of a couple’s journey together.
This poem wishes the new couple good fortune in their future endeavors.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Go n-eiri an bothar leat,
Go raibh an ghaoth go brach ag do chul,
Go lonrai an ghrian go te ar d’aghaidh,
Go dtite an bhaisteach go min ar do phairceanna,
Agus go mbuailimid le cheile aris,
Go gcoinni Dia i mbos A laimhe thu.
If you’ve ever been to Ireland, you know why this blessing is so powerful… When walking Irish hills, having the wind at your back and the sun on your face truly is a great blessing.
Though that toast is the most famous, there are many more Irish blessings and toasts to say at a wedding. Many evoke popular Irish iconography such as the shamrock, and rainbows.
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers,
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours,
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!
Here is a blessing wishing that the newly wed always have work to do, and money in their pockets.
May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine warm on your windowpane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Health and a long life to you.
Land without rent to you.
A child every year to you.
And if you can’t go to heaven,
may you at least die in Ireland.
May your day be touched
By a bit of Irish luck,
Brightened by a song in your heart,
And warmed by the smiles
of the people you love.
Health and long life to you,
land without rent to you,
a child every year to you,
and death in Old Ireland.
May the roof above you never fall in,
And those gathered beneath it never fall out.
and…
May the roof over your heads be as well thatched
As those inside are well matched.
Do you know a good Irish wedding blessing or prayer? Post it below, and we’ll add it to the site. Thanks for visiting!
If you'd like, you can post your prayer below so the PrayWithMe community can help pray with you.
Rules for Posting: All prayers are posted publicly through to this site. Don't use full names or any other identifying information that you wouldn't want out on the web.
Don't post with ALL CAPS, and try to use proper spelling and grammar.
If you can, help pray for others and post comments of support.
Tap below to see prayers from other visitors to this site.
We look at the origins and meaning of two popular Irish wedding blessings and investigate the history of the wedding toast.
You don’t have to be Irish to appreciate the beauty of these classic Irish wedding blessings.
Irish wedding traditions are full of symbolism and sweet sentiments. When it comes to an Irish wedding blessing, expect the same rich language and heartfelt emotion. A mix of Celtic sayings early Irish immigrants brought to America centuries ago and blessings still heard in Ireland today, these short poems can be used as unique wedding ceremony readings, as part of your vows or as additions to wedding toasts. Don’t worry if you’re not Irish, either! The beauty and wisdom of an Irish wedding blessing translates well for any culture or religion. Bonus: Many of the Irish wedding blessings are gender-netural, making them perfect vows or ceremony readings for LGTBQ couples as well.
This Irish wedding blessing is short and sweet.
With the first light of sun-
Bless you.
When the long day is done-
Bless you.
In your smiles and your tears-
Bless you.
Through each day of your years-
Bless you.
You may have heard this Irish wedding blessing at the end of a Drake song, but it originated in Ireland.
May your neighbors respect you
May trouble neglect you
May the angels protect you
And may heaven accept you
Rainbows are especially auspicious in Ireland, so this blessing is extra lucky.
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!
Perfect for religious couples, this Irish wedding blessing is full of symbolism.
May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand..
This short blessing celebrates life’s core values.
Love, life and happiness;
may your troubles be few and your blessings plenty.
With wishes of peace and friendship, this is just as perfect as a toast or reading.
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,
God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days.
Wish the luck of the Irish onto your marriage with this gentle poem.
Lucky stars above you,
Sunshine on your way,
Many friends to love you,
Joy in work and play-
Laughter to outweigh each care,
In your heart a song-
And gladness waiting everywhere
All your whole life long!
This short poem is great for Irish American couples.
May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings
Right beside your door.
Many Irish wedding blessings are brief, like this one, but packed with good intentions.
Bless you and yours,
As well as the cottage you live in.
May the roof overhead be well thatched
And those inside be well matched.
All of life’s biggies are covered in this Irish blessing.
May you have love that never ends,
lots of money, and lots of friends.
Health be yours, whatever you do,
and may God send many blessings to you!
Rain is considered good luck on an Irish wedding, so prepare for a few sprinkles after reading this blessing.
Happy is the bride that rain falls on
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace.
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase.
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past.
May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love.
Your lives are very special,
God has touched you in many ways.
May his blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days.
We swear by peace and love to stand,
Heart to heart and hand to hand.
Hark, O Spirit, and hear us now,
Confirming this our Sacred Vow.
I, <groom>, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee (bride's full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself.
I <bride>, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, (Groom's full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one. To desire and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself.
Irish wedding blessings, celtic wedding blessings, scottish wedding blessings.
Some couples will also put a Celtic wedding blessing on their wedding invitations, place settings at the reception or as part of the wedding ceremony itself.
A word of warning, I include an approximate pronunciation of the versions of the Gaelic blessings below. Just remember that 'ch' in Gaelic is like the 'ch' in 'loch', not as in chalk. If you can't manage that, pronounce as a 'k' to be understood.
Categories of Irish Wedding Blessings and Sayings
Irish Wedding Blessings
Irish Marriage Blessings
Irish Wedding Toast (different page)
Irish Sayings about Love (different page)
Help and deliverance and friendship of God on you both. God grant you a gradle of joy.
(Gradle means a lot)
****
May your neighbors respect you
May trouble neglect you
May the angels protect you
And may heaven accept you
****
You for me and I for thee and never another. Your face turned to mine and away from all others.
(Said in private by a woman to her man)
****
Health to the men and may the women live forever
Sláinte na bhfear agus go maire na mná go deo
(This traditional and old Irish wedding blessing is pronounced Slawn-cheh na var agus guh mara na min-aw guh joh)
****
That your love knot be sealed with heaven's wax
(blessed with luck)
****
May there be a generation of children on your children's children
Sliocht sleachta ar shliocht bhur sleachta
(This tongue-twister Irish wedding blessing is not to be tried after a few drinks! Pronounced Sluch(k)t slawch(k)-tah ar shluch(k)t bhur slawch(k)ta)
****
May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
****
Love, life and happiness; may your troubles be few and your blessings plenty
****
May your bodies please each other like the stars do their Master
(A simple though suggestive Celtic Wedding blessing)
****
Sláinte agus saol agat
Bean ar do mhian agat
Leanbh gach bliain agat
Agus bás in Éirinn.
(Pronounced Slaw-in-cheh agus say-ol og-ut
Ban er duh veen ogg-ut
Lan-iv gawch(k) blee-en ogg-ut
Ogg-uss bawss in Aye-rinn
****
May you never be sent to the gander paddock.
(May you never be sent to the doghouse by your wife)
****
Sweet be her hand on you as if it came from a pot of honey.
****
That your wife may knit for infants and may her needles always click after dark
(It was thought best to knit after dark because the sheep were asleep and wouldn't be offended!)
****
That you may never marry a whistling woman.
(regarded as bad or evil!)
****
May you enjoy your new life
Go maire sibh bhur saol nua
(Pronounced Guh mwir-eh shiv voor say-ol nu-ah)
****
Return to Top
We have also a great Irish Wedding toasts page which you should have a look at. There can be some overlap but you will find many more great wedding wishes by clicking on the link.
Wonderful selection of quality celtic knot wedding and engagement rings right here. Just click on the links.
Visit our Irish Love Poems and Irish Wedding Poems pages for poetry, verse and songs of love, many translated from Gaelic.
There are also some really suitable and funny marriage and wedding sayings on our Irish love Sayings page.
If you haven't found a suitable blessing here, try our other Irish blessings page. There are many more there that might better fit your purpose.
We have created a special Irish Birthday Toasts and Blessings page here.
And we have lots of other great Irish proverbs on our Famous Irish Sayings and Gaelic Sayings pages which I also recommend, plenty for any occasion.
Find out about Irish wedding customs and traditions and visit our wedding superstitions page for some far-fetched beliefs.
Irish Marriage and Irish Wedding Blessings reveal the Celtic take on love-often sensitive or funny and sometimes both at the same time. Below is a list of short Irish blessings inspired by Cupid.
In general, Irish people do not like formality and there is no set way to give a blessing. It's about choosing the right time. (Some of these blessings can also serve as wedding toasts.) You may choose to say give a blessing quietly to one or both of the married couple or in a more public setting.
Enjoy a variety of traditional Irish blessings, Irish toasts, traditional Celtic love poems, and Irish Celtic Wedding Traditions | Celtic Wedding Blessings & Toasts.
