Your wedding day is a time of celebration, joy, and happiness. However, if you’ve lost a loved one, it can also be a time of sadness at the thought of them not being with you on your wedding day. However, just because they aren’t there with you in person doesn’t mean they can’t be with you in spirit and memory. Focus on the wonderful memories and unique things you love about them throughout the wedding planning process. Then, incorporate one of these 9 meaningful ways to honor passed loved ones at your wedding.

Give your loved one a dedicated seat at the front of your ceremony. You can beautifully decorate the chair and include photos of the person, a few of their favorite things, and a special boutonnière or corsage just for them. For example, if you want to honor your grandmother’s memory, drape the chair with her favorite jewelry that you know she would have loved to wear on your special day. Before the wedding starts, be sure to task a bridesmaid or family member to be in charge of the chair. Then, once the wedding ceremony ends, that person can bring the chair and its decorations to the reception site so your loved one is by your side all night long.

While guests are waiting for the ceremony to start, they will read your ceremony program. Whether it’s a funny story or a sweet memory, share a note about your passed loved one. This way everyone can share in remembering them at your wedding. You can even include a photo to make it extra special.

If you want to honor a passed loved one by keeping them close to you all day long, consider adding something of theirs into your wedding attire. For example, if your mother passed away, ask your seamstress to sew part of her wedding dress into yours. Or, wrap your bouquet with lace and a locket with her photo in it. For those wearing a suit who want to honor a passed loved one, consider pinning a photo pin to the handkerchief pocket of your jacket.

Lighting a candle for each passed loved one is a beautiful way to honor those who are no longer with you. You can choose to do this at the ceremony or incorporate it into your reception. Keep in mind, however, that it does get windy in Tahoe, so having the candle indoors is recommended.

Oftentimes, couples will give a short speech during the wedding reception. This is a great time to thank all of your guests for coming out to celebrate with you, as well as remember and honor passed loved ones who weren’t able to be there. You can share a short story or mention something about the person that means a lot to you. This not only gives guests who knew the person a moment to reflect on their memory, but it also lets guests who didn’t know the person learn a bit about them and how important they were in your life. Was your granddad always promising you that you’d find a dapper young man or woman to marry one day? Share this sweet memory as you celebrate that he was right… you finally did!

Your wedding welcome table is often the first place guests stop to sign your guest book, place a card or gift with the others, and browse the photos you’ve displayed. And while they’ll definitely want to see pictures of you and your spouse-to-be, this is also a great place to include photos of passed loved ones.

Would you have loved to dance to a particular song with your dad for the father-daughter dance? Even if he isn’t with you, you can honor him by playing that song during the reception. Consider asking another family member to dance with you in his honor, as you remember him together.

Whether it’s a special dessert table serving grandma’s secret recipe chocolate-chip cookies or a game table because dad always brought a deck of cards with him wherever he went, design a special table in memory of a passed loved one. Be sure to include photos of the person and any other significant items to display (like dad’s favorite deck of cards–for show only, of course).

Did your sister always stop to smell the roses (literally) whenever you went to the park? Honor her at your wedding by including her favorite color roses in your floral arrangements. This is a subtle yet significant way to keep her memory alive with a special memory of her.

Ask Your Wedding Planner to Help Bring the Details Together

At Epic Thyme, we know how important it is to honor passed loved ones at your wedding. If you know you want to incorporate some of these ideas but aren’t sure how to put them all together, don’t worry. That’s what we are here for. As your wedding planner, we help make sure every little detail is just how you want it to remember the person with joy as they celebrate with you from afar. Let’s chat today about honoring their memory on your wedding day.