DURING WEDDING CELEBRATIONS - How couples can honor their parents
DURING WEDDING CELEBRATIONS
Weddings are milestone moments for couples and their families.
Weddings symbolize starting a new life as a couple, but also mark a great time to honor familial roots and traditions. Many couples aspire to honor certain family members in their weddings, and especially their parents.
The following are various ways couples can honor their parents and incorporate them into their wedding day.
Processional walk: The processional walk is a tradition in which the father of the bride walks her down the aisle. However, many couples now opt to modify this tradition to have both parents or even a step-parent or another special parental figure walk the bride down the aisle. This helps recognize the many people who may have contributed to the bride’s upbringing.
Rose ceremony: Couples can hand a single rose to their mothers and grandmothers during a moment in the ceremony.
This emotional gesture showcases love in front of all the guests, helping these special women feel recognized.
Vow exchange: Of ficiants may include a spe- cial "parents' vow" in the ceremony where parents can stand and support the couple in their new marriage. In a religious ceremony, parents may be able to symbolically renew their vows as they support their children.
Wearable history: Honoring parents may come down to wearing a special memento during the celebration. A bride can choose to wear her mother’s wedding gown, or to sew a piece of it into her own dress. Dad’s favorite blue shirt can be worn or sewn into the lining of a gown or suit. Veils, shoes, jewelry, watches, and other heirlooms also can connect the couple to the family and the generations who came before.
Special speeches: Although it’s customary for the maid of honor and best man to speak at the wedding reception, couples can honor their parents by asking them to offer some words of advice and support.
A legacy table: Show casing a visual family tree of sorts at the reception through framed wedding photos of the couple’s parents and grandparents is a great conversation starter and a touching tribute.
Musical tributes: e "rst" dances are tra ditional options to put the spotlight on parents, but having the band or DJ play parents’ own wedding songs can be a wonderful and heartfelt surprise. If any other songs are particularly meaningful to parents, those can be included in the ones played during the ceremony or reception.
HandwriGen note: Couples can write a short and meaningful letter to their parents, which can be opened the day after when parents may not be as preoccupied or emotional as they are on the day of the ceremony.
Couples can be as creative or traditional as they would like when it comes to honoring their parents during a wedding celebration.
