Special Ways to Remember Loved Ones You've Lost at your Wedding

The happiest day of your life can be tinged with a touch of sadness if you've lost someone you love. Nothing will ever make up for the fact that they can't be there with you on your big day, but you can make sure they're there in spirit. There are many beautiful ways to remember loved ones at your wedding, from wearing an heirloom to serving their favourite food.

The main thing is that you choose the way that is right for you, to help you take a special moment to honour their memory and show that they might be gone but never forgotten. We've compiled a list of 24 possible tributes from secret and subtle ones that are just for you, to more public ways to honour those who have passed on.

How to Remember Loved Ones at Your Wedding

Image by This Modern Love via One Fab Day

• A gorgeous way to include a photo of your loved one on your wedding day is to add a locket with their picture to your bouquet or pinned inside your suit. We have a whole post on where to get remembrance charms here.
• Alternatively you could include buttons from a garment they owned on your bouquet or sewn onto your jacket.
• The empty chair. Is there someone special missing from the top table? Then why not set them a place there or somewhere else in the room. You can imagine that they are sitting right there with you.

Image by Hello Sugar Photography via One Fab Day

• A remembrance candle is a subtle way to remember someone you've lost during your ceremony. If you and your beloved are lighting a unity candle, you can also take a moment to light a remembrance candle to burn throughout the ceremony in their honour.
• Nothing stirs the memory like music. Why not include a song they loved, or loved to sing, during the ceremony, or ask the band to play it at the reception as a tribute.
• Choose a venue, or a venue in a place, that meant something either to them or to you both. It could be a place with happy memories of holidays together or a beauty spot where you liked to walk.

Image by Navy Blur via One Fab Day

• Including something meaningful which pays tribute to a loved one departed can be added to the offertory gifts at a Catholic ceremony. Perhaps they played an instrument, or they loved DIY or their local sports team? It's sure to bring a smile to all who knew them to see something synonymous with them brought to the altar.
• With so much happening during the ceremony, it can be nice to pause and take a special moment of reflection in the ceremony.
• You could also mention them in a prayer of the faithful if you are having a Catholic ceremony.

Image by Adam & Grace via One Fab Day

• If have a photo of your loved one, you can always put it somewhere visible and add a sweet sign which says something like ‘Here in Spirit’ on it.
• The speeches offer a great opportunity to mention your absent loved one, perhaps tell an anecdote, or describe the special relationship they had with the couple.
• This can always be followed by a toast specifically to them or simply to absent friends.

Image by This Modern Love via One Fab Day

• If they owned some special occasion glassware, why not use these for your toast at the top table.
• Keep a piece of them close to you on your big day by wearing an heirloom. A dress, a piece of jewellery, a veil or another accessory such as a pocket square is a lovely way to add something old to your wedding look.
• A sweetly private way to remember a loved one at your wedding is to sew a memento into your dress or suit jacket. Perhaps a piece of material from something special they wore?

Image BY MEGAN HANON VIA ONE FAB DAY

• You will no doubt be inundated with readings about romantic love to choose from for your ceremony, so why not select a reading that can encompass enduring love in all its forms.
• Stir your senses on the day, by serving a favourite food of your loved one. Even better if it's made with their very own recipe.
• You could also create a signature cocktail or drink and name it after them.

Image by Sasha Treanor Photography via One Fab Day

• Take a moment, either alone or with family, to remember your loved one. Whether it’s before the ceremony, or after the meal, a small pause to think of them will make them feel close at hand.
• There may be more than one person missing from your big day, and so a memory table might be an apt way to remember those who have gone on. Add framed photos, maybe even of them on their own wedding day, and mementos to a table where people can take a walk down memory lane.
• If there is an organisation close to your heart that may have helped your loved one during their lifetime, then why not donate to charity as part of the wedding favours.

Image by Spellbound Photography via One Fab Day

• Many charities sell pins, or have particular colours that you can wear in support, why not add one of these to the bouquets, or jacket lapels of your wedding party.
• Warming the rings is a popular ritual for couples so guests can infuse their love into the bands. Pop the rings in a ring box which belonged to your loved one, so they can warm them too!
• Seeing as many people keep your ceremony booklet as a memento of the day, why not add a note on your stationery in their memory or work a symbol that represents your loved one into your invites.
• Incorporate a scarf or tie belonging to a loved one into your handfasting ceremony — a deeply symbolic way to wrap their memory into your union and have them close to you as you say your vows.

Worried about missing your loved one on your wedding day? Here are are some tips to help ensure your wedding morning is calm and relaxed to create a positive mindset.