from the lowlands of South Carolina, and best wishes to the happy couple.

You should make an appointment to meet Robert MacDonald and talk with him. Tell him about your financial reservations, and I suspect you'll get good advice about your options. Robert is also a piper, if one is required.

Then get over to Victoria and meet Steve. Same drill, speak and listen.


You don't say what time of day the wedding is, which makes a difference in attire. In any case, if the bridegroom is wearing a tweed jacket, then you don't want to be dressed more formally than he is! The Prince Charlie jacket is equivalent to a tux/dinner jacket/black tie.

Two overriding thoughts occur to me: If you are part of the wedding party, then your sister should have a voice in how you're turned out. You should at least fit in with the rest of the crew, be they kilted, trousered, or breeched. If you're a bridesmaid's opposite number (groomsman) then you might (in my locality) escort one of the ladies, serve as usher for the guests, or otherwise be on display before, during, and after the service.

Secondly, you don't want to let the side (sis) down. Don't consider "getting by" with an $80 acrylic kilt; in this situation, that is definitely "not on." An intermediate option such as a short-yardage wool "casual" kilt, or a high-quality poly-viscose from Canadian Casual Kilts or USA Kilts will work better. However I'd say you want an honest to goodness full-yardage wool kilt that will pass muster next to the bridegroom. This may mean renting, and that is an excellent option. Ask Robert and Steve about rental options locally. Some of our sponsors provide kilt rental. The only downside of rental is that you may not be able to get your preferred tartan.

Come to think of it, you should ask your future brother-in-law all of these questions. Keep asking us, and we'll keep answering; but you should know his views as soon as possible! Keep reading, use the search button, and check out pictures of our members in various levels of formality.

More thoughts at random:
The majority of us here are confirmed kilt-wearers, so our inclination is to get our own kit. Renting will allow you to see whether you want to become one of us, and will let you wear a high-quality outfit for an important occasion. You might test the waters with a casual kilt, but there's very little time to waste...

If you have a kilt made for you, you should start the process as soon as possible. It may take a couple of months, some makers may have too long a waiting list, and you want to allow time to correct any problems with fit and such. This is a custom made garment, so you have to commit to the process early; and then you're well and truly committed!

Steve at Freedom Kilts makes a "contemporary kilt" which is not constructed like the traditional one. However, if you get his tartan model, you'll be well kilted for any occasion; and you can have pockets! It may not be much cheaper than a full-on trad kilt from WCK, but it's top quality. According to the Web site, the price is $285 plus the cost of the cost of the fabric; and the fabric is not cheap.

In sum: the first order of business is to sound out the bridegroom. Second, talk with Robert and Steve. If you want to order a kilt elsewhere, there will be plenty of advice available here, but take care of #1 and #2.

Keep reading:
One kilt, ten looks by McMurdo and Panache
Search threads with wedding in the title