I Can Hear the Bells

I mentioned a while back that Mr. Cucumber Sammie and I will be including some cultural traditions in our ceremony to represent our heritage.  We covered Mr. Cuke Sammie's African American roots with a broom jump.  And now it is my turn!

I am Irish, Irish and just a little bit more Irish so picking a heritage pull a tradition from was easy.  There is tons of great inspiration for including Irish elements in your wedding.  I would have loved to get Mr. Cucumber Sammie in a kilt but before I could even get the words out he said 'not going to happen'.

Would have looked so handsome! {KiltRental}

We also briefly flirted with the idea of the Irish handfasting.  This custom is used in many other cultures as well.  The bride and groom tie fabric or ribbon over their joined wrists.  This creates a beautiful visual representation of 'tying the knot' and joining the bride and groom together. 

{WeddingsOnline.Ie}

If only My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding had come out sooner, my theme totally would have been 'Irish Traveller'.  I find this show equal parts fascinating and mystifying (why does it take them all day to clean the trailer?!?  what else do they do?)

{My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding by TLC}

Ultimately the tradition we decided to incorporate in our ceremony was the Bell Ringing.  During our ceremony, Mr. Cucumber Sammie and I will take turns ringing the 'marriage bell'.  The bell then gets kept in our house to be rung when we are having a fight or need a special reminder of our wedding day.  The bell is supposed to end the fight and declare a truce without admitting fault.  I am interpreting this tradition as I get to be right so I am all in!

We went on a wild search for bells.  I wanted to get a Waterford bell but soon realized that was a terrible idea after checking the prices at a local Irish Shop.  Soon I turned to my trusty old companion, Ebay! I love that place.  I found two bells for reasonable prices and they arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. 

 I love them both so I need your help deciding.  The green is very decorative and delicate but is a little dissimilar to our decor.  The sterling silver bell has some heft and a beautiful song but kind of plain. 

What do you think?  Use both bells?  Should I change my theme to 'Irish Traveller'?