Fortunately for Joyce, his new master was a Moorish goldsmith, who taught him the craft of goldsmithing during his many years of captivity. Finally freed, Joyce returned to his native Ireland, where he settled in the village of Claddagh on Galway Bay. Using his hard-won skills as a metalworker, Joyce created the first Claddagh ring with its famous heart and crown symbol to give to the woman he had loved during all of his years of slavery. Thus was established the tradition of the Claddagh ring as a symbol of undying love and commitment. To this day, wearing Claddagh wedding rings, or rings bearing some other classic Celtic design, are common customs at Celtic weddings. Many designs of Celtic wedding rings incorporate diamonds, though emeralds have become popular too, for obvious reasons.

Celtic weddings differ from American weddings in a number of significant ways, though there are also many customs in common. At Celtic weddings, it's common for the groom and his attendants to wear kilts, something that is rarely seen at American weddings unless the groom is of Scottish heritage. Dressing the bride in white is a custom that's universal in Western countries these days, though it was not always so. Until the late 19th century, many country brides wore colored gowns to their Celtic weddings. Another custom that has become universal across many cultures is the idea that the bride must wear "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, silver sixpence in her shoe." For a Celtic bride and groom, this is an ancient tradition, and many American brides follow it, too, without ever knowing the origin of this custom.

American brides (and sometimes grooms) wear wedding rings, too, though not usually Claddagh wedding rings unless they are of Celtic heritage. American wedding rings are usually made from gold, silver, or platinum, usually set with diamonds for the bride and a plain band for the groom. Some American grooms don't wear a wedding band, and some do. American wedding customs have evolved from an amalgam of different cultures' wedding practices and can vary by region, city, or the couple's ethnic or culture background. In truth, there really isn't a "typical" American wedding. Some couples get stressed out by the idea of planning a big, fancy wedding with all of the relatives and just elope to be married by a Justice of the Peace or a judge.

However, even more American couples opt for the big traditional wedding attended by numerous friends and family and followed by a fancy reception. It's safe to say that having a big feast following a wedding is one of the most common customs for almost every culture. Yet, just as Claddagh wedding rings differ in comparison to the usual American wedding band of diamonds and gold, you can bet that the food served at a classic Celtic wedding will be vastly different from the food at an American wedding as well.