With the recent news of the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II it is understandable that this may trigger your own feelings of lost loved ones. With a wedding to plan you may also be thinking of how to include those you have lost into your wedding day. It’s a tricky subject full of emotion and questions so I have written a few ways for you to honour their memory on your special day and hope this is of some comfort.
- The most obvious is to wear a piece of their jewellery passed down to you or your parents. You may decide to have it redesigned into a new piece of jewellery that suits your style or personality more.
- Have an item from your loved ones sewn into the lining of your dress, maybe a handkerchief, a piece of jewellery; an earring or pendant
- Speak to your florist to work out the best way to include one of their favourite flowers in the bouquet or hang a pendant with a photo of them.
- Remember those who are not with us by reserving a chair for them at the ceremony. Add a bouquet of flowers, a picture frame charm with their photo or a sign on the chair. A simple and sweet wedding memorial idea to remember your loved ones.
- One of the simplest ways are candles, do talk to your venue about this as some do not allow real candles in which case a realistic battery operated candle could be used. Choose a special place within the venue and include a blackboard or photo frame with a personal message you want to share.
- Nothing more emotional to honour those who are no longer with us than a wedding memorial table with some nice photos. Choose photos of happy moments shared together or just those that mean something special to you and place them on a table in picture frames. Wedding memorial tables can be dedicated to a single person or to several people.
- Include their names in your wedding program with a message similar to this; “As we embark upon our next stage of our lives together we would like to take the time to lovingly remember those close to our hearts who are no longer with us. Today we remember; (add the names)”
- Choose a song that has a special meaning and play it at a special time at your wedding. Maybe before the speeches or cutting the cake or as your first dance.
- It’s okay to talk about your lost loved ones on your wedding day. Use the speeches as an opportunity to share special memories or funny stories and raise a glass to them.
- Arrange a special release of doves. Depending on your venue and location (do talk to them first) Balloons that you could tie some personalised cards to them or Chinese Lanterns.
Do remember that your wedding day is a very special and happy day and your loved ones would want you to have a wonderful day full of love and laughter to build your own memories.