# I'm not Scottish, kin I wear a kilt at me wedding? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 23, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480 "2005-11-23T21:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/21 "2005-11-24T14:24:34Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > Never tried wearing a kilt, but I have heard that they are actually damn hot to wear. Airing the betty swollocks probably helps prevent overheating. That’s why there’s winter weight and summer weight kilts (and military and formal, but I digress). FTR, I wear bike shorts under mine. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/22 "2005-11-24T14:55:30Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > Can you wear a kilt at your wedding? No law against it. > Will any “real” Scots present find it odd? Quite likely. > Is this a problem? That’s up to you. > Should I stop talking like this? Oh hell yeah. > > Many people would prefer that their national costumes not be worn by people with no connection to the country (or region, or clan, or what have you). And this is true even though the costumes are often modern re-creations with varying degrees of guesswork and occasionally pure fantasy. Understand that if a Scot asked you why you wore a kilt at your wedding, if you had any Scottish ancestry perhaps, and you answered, “Not that I know of, I just think they look cool”, he or she might well consider that answer to have completely missed the point. > > One of the dressier Utilikilts, or a kilt made of a tartan invented for the purpose, would be somewhat less odd. **GorillaMan** - the points **flodnak** makes here are exactly the point I was making. Can a person from outside a culture adopt a culture’s dress, language, etc.? Sure. Is a person within the culture likely to find it a little “off”? Sure. You are welcome to disagree, but I stand by my position and the analogy with language. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/23 "2005-11-24T15:27:44Z")
I stand by my assertion that, particular tartans aside, little objection will be had to non-Scots wearing kilts. I’ve been to several English-Scottish weddings, and plenty of both sides have worn kilts, with no problems encountered. Sure, there’ll be the occassional gripe from somebody or other, but it’s _not_ seen as “adopting a culture’s dress”, just as a bit of fun. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/24 "2005-11-24T16:47:48Z")
Quite an interesting discussion so far. Thanks. My three primary geneoligical heritages are Native American (primarily Commanche), Prussian, and Irish. Despite that, I am blonde (ish, with a big leaning towards red), blue eyed, 6’0", and stockily built. I am quite obviously Texan to anyone outside the state, within the state I seem to be somewhat of an enigma to the ‘good ol boys.’ Lessee… I’m about a 3.0 on ‘that’ scale (those that get it will understand immediately), apparantly a little bit good lookin (well yeah, of course **I** think so, but others have said it too…), and considered very much so a non conformist by friends and family. My current flame is a Scot lass. (Apparantly of Viking heritage.) What started out as a mostly frivilous post has turned into quite the interesting debate/discussion. I seriously doubt I’m getting married any time soon, considering my history, but please continue the thread with your wonderful insights (and jokes!) . ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/25 "2005-11-24T17:08:31Z")
Can you wear a kilt? Yes. But please make some effort to get the right dimensions and put it on correctly. Otherwise you’ll look a fool. Nothing is worse than a kilt that’s too short/long or doesn’t have the correct pleating. Will any Scot get upset about it? Unlikely. Unless you look a fool. Will any Scot get upset about you not wearing the right tartan? It might be a subject of conversation, but no-one is going to really care, far less be ‘highly offended’. Are you allowed to try more of that cod-Scots accent? No. You’re far more likely to offend with it. Stop it immediately. And I don’t know what the hell you’re on about goats. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/26 "2005-11-24T17:09:01Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > Never tried wearing a kilt, but I have heard that they are actually damn hot to wear. Airing the betty swollocks probably helps prevent overheating. Really? That doesn’t make sense, since skirts aren’t any hotter than wearing pants, and us women folk usually wear underwear and pantyhose/tights underneath even the heaviest of skirts. Yeah, I’d go with one of the “any one can wear” tartans, or since you said you’re part Irish, if you know where your ancestors came from, you could wear a tartan from Clare, or Cork for example. Hey, I love traditional Asian dress, like kimonos and cheong-sahms. I should hope no one would tell me I can’t wear a cheong-sahm because I’m not Chinese. Hell, I’ve seen Samuel L. Jackson wearing a kilt, and I don’t think anyone laughed at him. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/27 "2005-11-24T17:20:41Z")
**Futile** , the goat roper hat is what we called a beat up straw hat (Western, of coarse), with the brims bent down front and back. Others may call it something else. [Kind of like this.](http://www.sheplers.com/item.cfm?DI=099042&TID=074425&Start=25&page=category&ITEMSTART=26) You’ll note, thank you, that I made no goat jokes. I’m finding them rather tiresome overall. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/28 "2005-11-24T17:26:08Z")
**Futile** , the goat roper hat is what we called a beat up straw hat (Western, of coarse), with the brims bent down front and back. Others may call it something else. [Kind of like this.](http://www.sheplers.com/item.cfm?DI=099042&TID=074425&Start=25&page=category&ITEMSTART=26) You’ll note, thank you, that I made no goat jokes. I’m finding them rather tiresome overall. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/29 "2005-11-24T17:28:43Z")
I’m having trouble with the “quote post” feature, but **Invisible Wombat** said- _"It would be highly offensive to a Scot to find a non-Scot wearing his clan’s tartan._" Why? I wouldn’t be offended. IIRC, the current tartans only came into being a couple of hundred years ago. Isn’t it only Americans who think that events from only 200 years ago are History? 😉 Try and find a reference in your family, certainly. But don’t sweat it. We had a friend who had all his groomsmen in full kilt and kit. Those who had the heritage wore their own. Those who didn’t wore the groom’s tartan. No one objected. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/30 "2005-11-24T17:30:40Z")
> [@EJsGirl](#): > > Those who had the heritage wore their own. Those who didn’t wore the groom’s tartan. No one objected. Interesting. I like **Guin** ’s twice stated idea, too. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/31 "2005-11-24T17:32:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Why? I wouldn’t be offended. IIRC, the current tartans only came into being a couple of hundred years ago. True - but as representations of older traditions/ideals/whatever. Just about anybody can find a tartan suitable for them, anyway - for example the purl=http://www.scotchcorner.com/mill/tartans-u/us-airforce.html]USAF tartan ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/32 "2005-11-24T23:09:08Z")
My school uniform was a kilt. So if you’re marrying me, please don’t wear _that_ particular pattern. Other than that, you can get married in your skivvies. Actually, in Spain you could get married while naked, so skivvies are kind of dress-up compared to that. ---
**Author:** ![mojave66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mojave66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mojave66)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/33 "2005-11-25T05:51:43Z")
\ If ye ginna taek like Scotty on Star Trek, et laist lair ye twa-three langages o [Lallans](http://www.lallans.co.uk/lallans.html), me loun. A brief history of kilts: Tartans do have an long history in the highlands of Scotland. Unfortunately, after the defeat of William Wallace they were pretty much banned, and then forgotten. During the Victorian reign, when all things Scots came into fashion, tartan cloth came back. Unfortunately, very few clan patterns were known, and those that survived were rather dark and muddy due to the dyes at the time. So tartan weavers made everything up. There’s now the [Tartan Registry](http://www.tartans.scotland.net/world_register.cfm), and you can even design your own tartan and, for a heap o clink (aka pounds) you can even have it registered and woven into a bolt for yourself. Heck, everybody wants to get into the act: [http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan\_info.cfm?tartan\_id=1309](http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tartan_info.cfm?tartan_id=1309) So heck, unless you’re inviting a 70+ cranky Scots-American (the Scots-Scots don’t give a damn), you won’t insult anyone as long as you respect the tradition and wear the kilt properly. \ ---
**Author:** ![slaphead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/34 "2005-11-25T10:29:16Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Really? That doesn’t make sense, since skirts aren’t any hotter than wearing pants, and us women folk usually wear underwear and pantyhose/tights underneath even the heaviest of skirts. Every kilt I’ve ever encountered has consisted of a hefty length of quite heavy woolen cloth pleated quite tightly. They are also traditionally worn with thick woolen socks and so on. They combination certainly looks warmer than most women’s skirts, but I’ve never worn either so I don’t know. Similarly, I’ve never experienced life as a woman, but I should imagine the lack of external tackle cuts down a lot on the sweaty crotch issue. Anyhow, I’ve never met a scot who had a hangup on tartans/kilts/haggis or an issue with other people trying them. In fact, they generally like an opportunity for a bit of joshing and holding forth on matters Scottish. With umpteenth-generation hypenated-Americans you may find it a different matter, since they do like to make a huge fuss over things they know very little about. Just remember to have a flask of good malt in your sporran and offer anyone claiming to be scottish a wee dram. If there are any real scots (or irish) present have several bottles stashed nearby to refill the flask. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/35 "2005-11-25T10:44:07Z")
I’m not Filipino but I wore a\* barong\* on my wedding day. Go for it! ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/36 "2005-11-25T12:31:40Z")
> [@slaphead](#): > > Every kilt I’ve ever encountered has consisted of a hefty length of quite heavy woolen cloth pleated quite tightly. They are also traditionally worn with thick woolen socks and so on. They combination certainly looks warmer than most women’s skirts, but I’ve never worn either so I don’t know. Similarly, I’ve never experienced life as a woman, but I should imagine the lack of external tackle cuts down a lot on the sweaty crotch issue. Well, without wishing to go in to too much detail, kilts can indeed become very warm. As **slaphead** says, they are very heavy - far heavier, I would guess, than even a winter skirt and wrap around you 1.5 times. The woolen socks, as indicated, are the real killer however. Or at least, they are once you start in on the dancin’. Usually, if I wear the kilt, it means there’s going to be a _ceilidh_, a Gaelic word which roughly translates as “booze fuelled dancefloor scrum”. Any kilted wedding I go to will certainly involve one. All ceilidh dancing is derived from the simple childish entertainment of spinning round in circles until you fall over. There are two types of spinning: groups of 8, 6 or 4 joining hands and dancing around in a ring, which is generally safe; secondly, partners grabbing each other by hand or forearm and whirling each other as fast as possible. This can lead in extreme circumstances, where one partner significantlly exceeds the other in weight or angular momentum, to the lighter and faster becoming air-borne. For many of my friends, getting the girlfriend to achieve take-off is the very acme of skilled ceilidh dancing. (As my girlfirend suffers from vertigo, and has expressed herself clearly and fluently on this point, my dance-partner launching skills are rusting up.) The point is that this is a high energy past time, and in a crowded hall, possibly overheated, a lot of heat is produced and then retained by the envelope of the kilt. The more air-cooling available, the better for all involved. That said, there are downsides - one has to be wary of the curiosity of small children, who deserve to be protected from the seamier side of life; non-kilt wearers, after a certain point of intoxication, realise that whipping up the kilt in front of Grandma is the ne plus ultra of humour; one gains a sudden apprecaition for why women always sit down in such a calculated fashion, rather than following the traditional male approach of dropping on the seat and spreading the legs wide. By all means, give the kilt a go, especially if you like standing out in a crowd, but do be aware that they can be very expensive even before you get into the accessories, like sporrans, ceremonial daggers, and thick woolen itchy socks. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/37 "2005-11-25T14:18:06Z")
Oh, the old warning just popped into my head: Nobody gets to be prettier than the bride at the wedding, so you be careful. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/38 "2005-11-25T14:42:30Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > My current flame is a Scot lass. (Apparantly of Viking heritage.) Well, why didn’t you say so? You could wear _her_ tartan! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/39 "2005-11-25T20:31:33Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Well, why didn’t you say so? You could wear _her_ tartan! Didn’t think it would matter? I was wondering about MY non Scot-ness, ya know… :smack: … made sense to me … So, basically, I wouldn’t offend any Scot by wearing a nuetral pattern or her tartan, I could find out what house my Irisher forebears were from and wear that, or I can just do whatever I want of any style (outside of specific clan tartans) of any culture within reasonable taste limits. Last night I mentioned this discussion to her and she said she’d ask her family to see if anyone had one to try out, see what it all looked like. God, I hope this doesn’t mean she thinks we’re engaged already! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480/40 "2005-11-25T20:52:40Z")
Well, if you’re worried about offending Scots by wearing a tartan you’re not entitled to, then, I would hazard a guess that until you marry her, you’re not entitled to wear _her_ tartan… Just wear a navy blue kilt and tell people you’re Irish. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-scottish-kin-i-wear-a-kilt-at-me-wedding/332480.md?page=3)