Your wedding day is a special opportunity to honor the people who have loved and supported you throughout your life. This might be your parents, grandparents, friends that are like family, or another important person. If you’re looking for unique ways to honor loved ones at your wedding, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn how to honor parents at your wedding and make them feel like the special people they are!

Meaningful Ways to Honor Loved Ones at Your Wedding

Your wedding day is all about you and your new spouse. But it’s nice to make sure your parents and other important loved ones feel appreciated and celebrated on your big day too. After all, would you really be where you are today without their love and support? If that’s how you feel, consider incorporating one of these ways to honor parents at your wedding or other loved ones.

1. Include Them in Your Wedding Plans from the Beginning

There are lots of ways to honor loved ones at your wedding. But you can ensure they feel included in your special day by involving them in your wedding plans before the ceremony too. Ask your mom to help you choose your dress (or maybe even repurpose your mom’s wedding dress for your big day). Ask your aunt to help you plan your bridal shower or your uncle to use his woodworking skills to create your wedding arch. Talk to your grandparents about their favorite part of their wedding day and find ways to incorporate something similar into yours. Inviting your loved ones to be part of wedding planning will help them feel involved and invested in your big day from the start.

2. Do a First Look with Them

Many couples choose to do a “first look” with their spouse-to-be before the wedding ceremony. It’s a beautiful moment to connect with each other before you get married, calm the butterflies, and get sweet photos, so you can enjoy cocktail hour with your friends later on. You can also do something similar with your loved ones before you walk down the aisle. Let your VIP family members be the first to see you all dressed up and ready to get married.

3. Give Them a Special Seat at the Ceremony and Reception

A front-row seat or VIP table can make your loved ones feel comfortable and honored at your wedding. This is an especially sweet gesture for grandparents who might have difficulty hearing your wedding vows if they sit in the back. And you want your parents to be able to see your face during the reception toasts and such! So, make sure your parents and VIP family members get the best seats in the house. You can even include them in your ceremony processional and have a groomsman walk grammy down the aisle or your brother walk your mom to her front-row seat.

4. Ask Them to Participate in Your Wedding Ceremony

There are many ways to honor your parents and loved ones by including them in your ceremony. This could involve lighting a unity candle, reading a poem, walking you down the aisle, or anything significant to your relationship with them. Of course, you’ll want to make sure they feel comfortable having a more active role, but if they do, you can find something meaningful to them and special to you.

5. Give Them a Shout-out During Your Wedding Speeches

While they may want to toast you during the wedding speeches, you can also say a few kind words about the special people in your life. Get specific by sharing what you learned from your grandparents’ marriage or how you became the man or woman you are today because of your dad’s unwavering love and support.

6. Present Them with a Small Gift of Appreciation

This is a nice way to show appreciation for all they’ve done for you and include them in your wedding. For example, you could give your mom a piece of jewelry to wear on your wedding day or buy your dad a tie that matches your wedding colors. A hand-written note is also a thoughtful gift that doesn’t cost much but is extremely meaningful.

7. Plan a Special Dance with Them

The father-daughter dance is a common wedding tradition, but you can honor your parents and other loved ones by planning a not-so-traditional special dance. Nothing says you can’t have a grandfather-daughter dance or ask your aunt to do you the honors. To make it even more special, let your loved one pick the song you’ll dance to–whether it’s a slow dance or something more upbeat.

8. Spend Quality Time with Them on Your Wedding Day

Your parents and loved ones will appreciate a front-row seat or a small token of your appreciation. However, one of the best ways to honor them is to spend some time with them on your wedding day. Make sure to include them in your “shot list” for wedding photos and have your parents look over the list to ensure you didn’t forget anyone who should be in the family photos. You can also take a post-ceremony stroll around the venue grounds before heading into your reception for a little extra alone time with loved ones. Whatever you do, make sure they know how much you love and appreciate them!

Make More Time for the People You Love with the Help of Epic Thyme

There is no such thing as too much help when it comes to planning the wedding of your dreams. There are a million details to take care of leading up to and on your big day, from finding the perfect venue to managing the guest list to making sure your vendors arrive on time! This is where Epic Thyme comes in. We are a team of professional Lake Tahoe wedding planners and designers who will take care of every last detail, so you can relax and enjoy your wedding celebration with the people you love. We know how important your wedding day is, and we will work tirelessly to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Our goal is to make your wedding day as fun and stress-free as possible by handling all the details for you. Want to know more about how we can help you have the best Lake Tahoe wedding? Check out this blog post, and contact us to chat about your wedding vision and learn how we can help bring it to life!