The marriage ceremony amongst the common people was a simple ritual where the couple in the presence of assembled villagers declared that they were married. Often this ritual took place beside a standing stone where the two parties would clasp hands through the hole and declare themselves married. This form of ceremony was called "hand fasting" and constituted a legal marriage until the 1939 when Scotland's Marriage Act became law.

Another ancient ritual associated with the wedding ceremony was the custom of offering foot baths to guests on the night of the wedding.
These baths took place at the family homes of both the bride and the groom. When the bath was complete unmarried guests would compete for a silver coin placed in the basin because the winner was considered to be the next one to marry