How to Honor Loved Ones on Your Wedding Day

On the wedding day, we hope to have the people who we love most by our side. When loved ones pass away or can’t physically be with us, we want to remember them. It can be tough to strike the balance between paying respect and the joy of a wedding. From emotional to humorous, here are ideas to pay tribute to deceased family members and honor loved ones who can’t be with you on your wedding day.

“One of the toughest things for any child to endure is to be without their parents on their most important life moments. Nothing is bigger than a wedding and because both of my parents have passed on, it was extremely important to honor them this way. Their presence was definitely felt.” – Jubba

Reserve a Seat

Brandi and Jubba had several very important family members who they wanted to pay tribute to on their wedding day. They chose to reserve seats to honor loved ones and placed a rose on each chair. We also love the idea to place photos on the chairs so that we can photograph the faces of your loved ones during your wedding ceremony. You can also frame a quote that is meaningful to you.

Create a Memory Table

Honor loved ones by placing a table near your ceremony or reception to have photos of those who couldn’t be with you. Katie and Cortney even chose to include their pets!

Contact us to plan your Travel!

Our sister company Del Sol Travels is a full-service travel agency that specializes in planning destination weddings, honeymoons and special events. Their experience includes planning over 800 destination weddings throughout Mexico and the Caribbean as well as extensive personal knowledge of dozens of resorts and destinations. Del Sol Travels services are complimentary, and their expertise is not limited to weddings. Our team is available to assist you with travel planning around the globe!

Pin a Photo to Your Bouquet

One lovely way of carrying your loved ones with you is to pin a photo of them to your bouquet. While honoring a loved one is a solemn and serious moment – we particularly loved the way that Crystal chose to remember her Grandma!

“My Nana raised me. She died 12 years earlier and wouldn’t be with me on my wedding day. I wore a photo charm on my bouquet for her, and it’s my favorite. While it doesn’t show exactly what my Nana is doing, we all know the story behind the picture. My Nana was a really fun lady and the laughter captured on her face is the result of a young male stripper that her niece hired for a Christmas party years ago who was dancing for my Nana while she put money in his man thong, LOL!” – Crystal

Tribute Charms for Grooms

Steph chose to surprise Todd with a tribute charm before the wedding ceremony.

“I felt like I wanted to do something special to pay tribute to Todd’s parents and grandparents who have passed away. At the same time, I didn’t want to do anything that would bring too much attention to the fact they weren’t there and make it more upsetting for Todd. I know people reserve chairs for the loved ones. I didn’t want us to see two empty seats and be sad, it’s supposed to be a happy day. Rachel pinned a gift from me, a picture of Todd’s mom and dad on their wedding day, over his heart. Todd was so happy, he said it was the best gift I’ve ever given to him. He had no idea I had gotten it and said it definitely hit some emotions.”

“No matter what, not having your mom or dad to do the traditional roles it’s gonna be hard. Try to think about how happy they are looking over you and they wouldn’t want you to be upset on your big day.” – Steph

Involve other family members

Jayme decided to surprise Jason with a letter and a tribute charm before the wedding ceremony. She had his mom give him the letter, which provoked a really beautiful and candid family love moment.

See the Wedding

Wear an Heirloom

Wearing something that belonged to someone special is a beautiful way to honor loved ones and feel them close to you. Gaby chose to wear a beautiful ring worn by her neighborhood mom – her “Maja”

See the Wedding

“My Maja passed away May 28th, 2015. This was the first time I had felt a loss like this. It did and still does feel like a part of my heart is missing. This ring was hers. Because she was unable to be there with us for our wedding, I wanted to have a part or memory of her there with us. I will always hold her in my heart.” – Gabrielle

Wear a Tribute Locket

A beautiful way to honor a loved one is to wear a photo locket as a tribute. Lauren chose to remember her husband Karl’s passed sister, Crystal who stayed close to the hearts of everyone in a special locket worn by Karl’s mom, sister, and Lauren.

“Our wedding was also a hard time with the loss of Karl’s sister and my sister-in-law Crystal. Although we had a happy celebration, it was missing our loving free spirit, Crystal. We played some of her favorite songs in her honor. To incorporate her presence on our wedding day Karl’s mother snd sister Katie and I all wore lockets with pictures of Crystal. She was close to our hearts that day.” – Lauren

Give a Locket as a Gift

“I got a beautiful locket from my cousin which had my father’s photograph on one side and a picture of red roses on the other side. It was the most thoughtful gesture. I wanted nothing more than to have my dad walk me down the aisle. I tear up at just the thought of it. I held the locket wrapped around my bouquet as I walked down the aisle and it made me feel like he was right there with me.” – Matti Jane

“We really wanted to honor our loved ones that have passed away. I am a true believer that loved ones never really go away, they watch over you and support you in times of need.” – Matti Jane

Honor Loved ones with Flowers

Matti Jane had memories of her father all around her on her wedding day by choosing their wedding flowers to honor him.

“I chose red roses for my wedding day because they are my absolute favorite. My father always bought me red roses. Whether it was for Valentine’s Day, birthdays, special occasions, or “just because”. Every time I see or smell red roses I think of my dad. Having red roses at our wedding made me feel like he was around me all the time.” – Matti Jane

Day of the Dead Wedding

Every wedding is emotional, but Alexis and Drew’s Akiin Tulum wedding had us tearing up more than most. They chose the Mexican Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos specifically to pay tribute to their loved ones. What started as something personal soon spread to include their whole group. A beautiful celebration of life on the Day of the Dead.

See the Day of the Dead Wedding

“Originally we were just going to represent my parents on the altar. Then Drew’s grandmother passed away a couple of months before the wedding and we wanted to have her there as well. A family friend who was with my mother and I on our first trip to Mexico, and who I traveled with several times after, passed away suddenly prior to the wedding. Around that same time my friend Gary, who I had met through my cousin and from my many travels to Mexico had also just died. We started thinking it would be a nice touch to honor them as well. The idea blossomed to include some of our guests’ family members on our altar as well, but we tried to keep it a surprise as much as we could. Not everybody knew the significance of Day of the Dead. Being able to share that with them was pretty special.” – Alexis

Honor Loved Ones with a Toast

Take a moment in your reception to talk about the people that can’t be there with you, but you still hold in your heart. If you think it’s going to be tough to get the words out have another loved one stand up there with you. To celebrate with all your guests have everyone take a shot at the end!

It was very important to Eric and Cammy to pay tribute to Eric’s parents, who both passed away before their wedding. They had necklaces made with their thumbprints superimposed on a pendant and gave them as gifts to the grandchildren during the wedding reception.

Pin a Tribute Inside your Dress

Having something not visible but that you know is there is a beautiful way to honor a loved one. Sophie’s father couldn’t travel to her destination wedding following heart surgery, so she pinned a note from him inside her dress.

“On our wedding day, my mother gave me a handwritten note from my father that he wanted me to have. I pinned this note inside my wedding dress because I wanted a small piece of him with me on my special day. Thankfully, my father is still with us and was in all of our hearts on that day.” – Sophie

Choose a Significant Date

Lance and Dora paid homage to Lance’s father by getting married on his parent’s wedding anniversary! They closed the dancefloor by playing a special song for his father too.

“I looked up to my Dad all my life. In fact, my brother and sister always say how similar he and I are. I know how much he loved Dora and would have wanted to be there if he could. I know my dad is looking down upon us wishing us the best. We honored him and my mom by getting married on their anniversary.” – Lance

Have a Special First Dance

Some couples choose to forgo the first dance if a parent isn’t there on the wedding day. However, this moment can also be used as a tribute. Play a special song and have someone significant dance with you! Nazia had her first dance with her Mother, while Eric danced with his mother-in-law and his daughter.

Tribute Sessions and Healing Art

We are also honored to have been asked to create a whole experience in pay tribute to a loved one who has passed away. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to talk more about what we can do to honor someone special in your life who is no longer with us.

Janine’s Healing Art Photography

In 2014, Janine suffered a monumental loss when her fiancé passed away 2 months before their wedding day. To deal with her grief she decided to create a memorial photo-shoot. The images and video story we created together were an incredibly cathartic and emotional experience.

See Janines Story

“When I did this photoshoot I had the best time I actually had fun for the 1st time in 3 months since Johnny passed away. Reach out for help and never apologize for your actions because you are strong and you will get through this!” – Janine

Kutrina’s Cenote Tribute Ceremony

Kutrina’s mother Julie passed away in Canada and she wanted to do something special to say goodbye. Kutrina decided to take Julie’s ashes and her three beautiful children to Mexico for an experience they will never forget. She asked us to plan an adventure to celebrate Julie’s life and document the entire story.

A resting place for Julie

Healing Art by Sol Tamargo

We know that the experiences that we have in our life make us the people we are! Our goal is to share epic experiences that change us and help us connect with loved ones and ourselves. Del Sol Co-Founder Sol Tamargo created the “wings to fly” experience as a spiritual awakening and wellness therapy. Using emotions and movement, she creates resulting in fine art photography images.

We are always excited to hear your story and create bespoke, custom experiences for individuals and groups. To find out more about our Wings to Fly and Healing Art experiences, contact us via our contact form.

Discover Healing Art

More Wedding Planning Ideas

We love to bring creative and unique touches to personalize your wedding! Browse our collections for inspiration and don’t hesitate to contact us for personalized recommendations for your day.