How to Honor a Deceased Parent in a Wedding Program
Your wedding day can be a time of mixed emotions. You may be happy to be spending the rest of your life with your mate, but if one of your parents is deceased, you may also be sad he or she won't be there for this milestone in your life. There are many ways to include both of your parents in your wedding day, so that you can celebrate your joy while honoring their memories.
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Things You'll Need
- Wedding invitations
- Deceased parent's wedding ring
- Candle
- Framed photo of parent
Instructions
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Include their name on the invitations. Instead of:
Mr. and Mrs. John Doe
request the honour of your presence
of their daughter Mary Ellen . . .print:
Mary Ellen Doe
daughter of Mrs. John Doe and the late Mr. Doe
and
William Plumber
son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe T. Plumber
request the honour of your presence . . . -
2
Mention them in the ceremony. Adapt the following exchange to fit your circumstances: have the officiant say, "As you know, GROOM'S MOTHER left us three years ago, and now he would like to say a few words in honor of the part she played in his life." Then the groom says, "I want to thank you, Mother, for the role you played in my life. You were always there for me and I still miss you every day. I know that you would love BRIDE, Mother, and that she would love you as much as I do. I promise to keep following the path you showed me, and I promise that we'll always keep your memory alive in our home."
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3
Wear their wedding ring. If you have a deceased parent's wedding ring, you can take it as your own wedding ring when you and your fiancé exchange your vows. If you don't want to use it as your own wedding ring, wear it on a chain around your neck or on the ring finger of your right hand during your ceremony.
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4
Light a candle. You can have a special memory candle made with a picture of your deceased parent embossed onto the wax, or place a plain candle on the altar with a framed picture of your parent next to the candle. You can have your candle-lighter light the memory candle just before the processional begins, or you can light it yourself during the ceremony. Choose a candle in the deceased parent's favorite color.
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5
Give a reading. During the ceremony, have someone who was close to your parent give a reading in their honor. This could be your parents' favorite Bible passage or poem, or something that you have written yourself. If you don't want to include this in the ceremony, have someone give a short reading on behalf of your parent during the reception speeches.
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References
- Photo Credit wedding image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
