Your wedding day is approaching, and you are filled with excitement. The thrill of getting married is tinged with a bittersweet feeling when you realize that those whom you dearly wanted to witness the occasion are no longer with you. There are ways to honor lost loved ones at your wedding ceremony. Even though they can’t be there in person, there are several ways they can be remembered. Here are some great options.
In The Program
One way that you can remember your loved ones is by naming them in the program. There are a number of ways you can do this. If it is one of the parents, then you could put “the late” before their name. If you have a section designated for remembrances, then you can place some wording such as “In loving remembrance”, “We remember those no longer with us”, “We celebrate with those no longer with us”, and the like. You might add a beautiful poem in that section of the program or if you have pictures you want to share, then you can place them in the program pages.
Candle Lighting
During the ceremony, you can take a moment to light a candle for a loved one you are remembering. The person’s name can be placed in the program, and you might have their picture displayed by the candles that you are lighting. You can play music that reminds you of them while you are doing this, or maybe someone can read a relevant passage.
Reception Display
On the way into the reception, a table can be set up with memories and photos of loved ones. This can either be something people just stop and look at or you can make it an interactive place where people can share memories of loved ones. While it is your wedding day, others will most certainly be missing them as well. You might want to set up a little reflection area if people want to spend more time at the table without needing to stand there.
Video Display
Another way to share memories of loved ones is if you have pictures you want to share of them but make it a video album instead of having it be just pictures on a table. You can set up a loop of an album to play through while the reception is going. If there are funny videos that the loved ones are in, you can make it a mix of short videos and static pictures being displayed. Finding media when they were their funniest can help lighten the mood as well.
Plant Tree
A way that loved ones can be remembered on your wedding day would be to plant trees in their honor. There are several companies that do this in honor of those who’ve been lost. This can be noted in the program. If there are places that are special to the loved one where a tree can be planted locally, this can be done at a later time and noted in the program.
Dedication
Like the trees that can be planted, various items can be dedicated to lost loved ones as well. There are memorial benches, stepping stones, tables, and bricks, to name a few. If there are loved ones who were lost close to the wedding date or during the planning, then these might be considered as options.
There are a number of ways to honor your lost loved ones on your wedding day. Whether you choose a candle ceremony, a remembrance table, or one of the other options mentioned above, your loved ones will be an important part of your wedding day.
