Quaich Blessing
Derived from the Gaelic word ‘Cuach’, meaning cup, the Quaich (or 'loving cup'), is a two-handed drinking vessel that was used in ancient Scotland to seal the bond of two people and their families. By each partaking in a drink, this symbolized the love and trust implied by the bond, as the couple share the first drink of their commitment to each other.
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One reason for the quaich’s two-handled design, was that it had to be offered and accepted with both hands. And with the ceremony bringing two families together, then neither the host nor the guest could hold a weapon at the same time.
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Better still, because the host, or clan leader, had to drink from it first, the guest could be reasonably confident that the quaich’s contents hadn’t been poisoned.
Nowadays at a wedding, we usually tend to skip the poison part of ‘the quaich ritual’! However, you don't have to use the traditional dram of whisky. It's your wedding, you could opt for Prosecco, Gin, Beer, or even Scotland’s other national drink, Irn Bru, if the weans are having a sip!