Planning a Wedding While Honouring Passed Loved Ones
- theluckysixpence
- Sep 18
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 19
Planning a wedding is such a mix of emotions. Among the excitement of choosing outfits and venues, there’s often a quiet longing for those we wish could be with us. But here’s the thing - they can still be part of it. Through little details, heartfelt gestures, and creative touches, we can keep their presence close on the wedding day. I’ve spoken to some incredible suppliers who’ve shared how couples can honour passed loved ones on their wedding day, and I can’t wait to pass on their ideas to you.
Jump to: Why Honouring Loved Ones Matters, Examples and Tips for Honouring Your Loved Ones Through Decor, Ceremony, Wedding Attire, Wedding Rings, Wedding Cake, Conclusion, FAQs
Why Honouring Loved Ones on the Wedding Day Matters
Honouring passed loved ones on your wedding day can be deeply moving, creating a sense of presence even when someone isn’t physically there. Nikki from Knots and Kisses reflects: “For many, it is so important to have that person included in their day in some small way.”
Whether through physical items such as décor, clothing, or jewellery, these gestures allow memories to live on. Mette of Freja Designer Dressmaking explains that including cherished items makes absent loved ones feel close, while Hannah at Solunah Studio adds that even the tiniest details, like a button, can carry the special memory of a passed loved one into a new love story. Erin of Erin Cox Jewellery reminds us that the true value of an item “lies not only in its materials, but in the emotions it carries.”
Involving the senses; through music, scent, and taste - can be profoundly evocative. As Hannah from HMH Piano Collective explains, “music brings their memory to life in a way that feels tangible and intimate.”
Together, these gestures - woven into attire, music, ceremony, or accessories - help couples feel connected, making the wedding day feel complete, personal, and meaningful.
Examples & Tips on How To Honour Loved Ones from Wedding Suppliers
There are so many thoughtful ways couples can honour passed loved ones, and each wedding can be deeply personal. From subtle décor touches to music, ceremony rituals, and bespoke wedding attire and rings, these examples show how meaningful gestures can create moments that feel both intimate and unforgettable.
Honouring Loved Ones in Your Décor
(With thanks to Nikki from Knots and Kisses)
Styling your wedding space can gently weave in memories without it feeling overwhelming. Nikki has helped couples incorporate subtle, meaningful touches:
“I’ve had couples ask the florist to add a piece of a loved one’s jewellery or a snippet of fabric from their clothing to the bouquet handle. For more recent losses, leaving a chair with a framed photo or an In Memoriam card can be really comforting.”
Small displays of framed photos or candles can help multiple loved ones be remembered in a quiet, heartfelt way.
Practical tips:
Add a piece of a loved one’s jewellery or a snippet of their clothing to the bouquet handle.
Leave a chair at the ceremony with a photo, a single flower, or an In Memoriam card.
Create a small display of framed photos or candles to remember multiple loved ones.
Include favourite flowers of lost loved ones in bouquets, buttonholes, or table arrangements.
Honouring Loved Ones in Your Wedding Ceremony
(With thanks to Lauren, The Spiritual Celebrant & Hannah, HMH Piano Collective)
Ceremony rituals and music offer powerful ways to feel connected to loved ones. Lauren, The Spiritual Celebrant explains:
“I am working with couples who are incorporating candle lighting into their ceremonies to recognise and honour lost loved ones. During the ceremony, we pause to light a candle for each person, reflect, and continue, knowing their significance has been acknowledged.”
Flower blessings or including favourite blooms in bouquets and buttonholes provide subtle ways to weave memories into the day.
Music can also create deeply personal moments. Hannah, HMH Piano Collective, shares:
“Last year, a bride chose Take Me Home, Country Roads - her Nan’s favourite song - for her ceremony entrance. It was a beautiful way to bring her Nan’s memory to life and make her presence felt on such a special day.”
Music can be subtle or private, quietly connecting couples to their loved ones throughout the day, whether during the ceremony, signing of the register, or even scattered into the wedding breakfast playlist.
Practical tips:
Candle lighting during the ceremony to acknowledge loved ones, with couples or guests lighting them.
Incorporate crystals representing loved ones’ qualities or personality in a small ritual.
Include flower blessings, where guests present flowers to the couple in memory of those who have passed.Play special songs that were meaningful to lost loved ones during key moments of the wedding day.
Loved Ones Woven into Wedding Attire & Accessories
(With thanks to Mette, Freja Designer Dressmaking; Rebecca, Rebecca Anne Designs; Hannah, Solunah Studio, and me - Janie, The Lucky Sixpence)
Hidden details in wedding attire and accessories can create intimate ways to carry memories close. Mette, Freja Designer Dressmaking explains:
“We’ve sewn wedding rings or earrings from loved ones into dresses, added love hearts with embroidered monograms from family shirts, or tucked fine lace handkerchiefs inside garments. Re-purposing elements of old dresses or headpieces can also carry memories forward.”
Hannah, Solunah Studio, shares that even small details matter.
“There’s something so special about the idea of a daughter being able to carry a part of her mother’s legacy down the aisle with her. It doesn’t have to be the whole gown - it could just be buttons, embroidery, or even hidden charms sewn into the lining as talismans of love and good luck."
She recalls adapting a vintage 70s Laura Ashley gown into a modern over-top, allowing one bride to re-wear her mother’s gown in a new way - a moment that brought joy to the whole family.
A mothers reworked Wedding dress by Solunah Studio - Photos Thomas Frost Photography
Veils can also become canvases for memory. Rebecca, Rebecca Anne Designs shares:
“I’ve helped brides stitch handwriting from their late grandmother or include symbols like robins or favourite flowers. Some brides have hidden these details at their fingertips, so they can feel their loved one close throughout the day.”
Grandmothers handwriting and symbolic robin - embroidered by Rebecca Anne Designs - Photos Kerry Ann Duffy Photography and Eve Hopkinson Photography
Sentimental jewellery offers another beautiful way to honour passed loved ones. I, (Janie from The Lucky Sixpence) work with nearly weds to transform family pieces into bespoke hair accessories or jewellery. I’ve reworked broken brooches, strings of pearls and old tiaras into new hair accessories and jewellery. It is always an honour to work with such sentimental items as I know how profound they are to my clients. It’s a beautiful way of having the energy of a passed love one with you on the wedding day.
(To see more ideas on reworking sentimental jewellery head to Incorporating Sentimental Vintage Jewellery Into Your Wedding Accessories)
Reworking a mothers tiara into a wedding headpiece by The Lucky Sixpence
Practical tips:
Sew in wedding rings, earrings, or small items from loved ones into the dress or veil.
Create appliqués or embroidered monograms from family garments.
Re-purpose lace, veils, or headpieces into your outfit.
Rework a parent’s or grandparent’s gown into a new design, or reuse elements such as buttons or fabric flowers.
Repurpose non-wedding garments (e.g., a silk nightie or shirt) into bows or sashes.
Embroider handwriting, favourite flowers, or meaningful symbols onto veils, visible or discreet.
Transform heirloom jewellery into bespoke hair accessories, pins, or jewellery pieces to wear on the day and pass down the family.
Sentimental Wedding Rings to Remember Loved Ones
(With thanks to Erin, Erin Cox Jewellery)
Wedding and engagement rings carry extraordinary emotional significance. Erin has spent over 20 years helping couples transform heirlooms into meaningful new pieces.
For Erin, it’s often about weaving family history into something wearable every day: melting down gold from loved ones’ rings, resetting gemstones, or engraving secret words and dates inside bands.
"Often the most meaningful designs use just a small element of a sentimental piece, woven into a style that feels truly your own,” she explains.
Reworking sentimental rings and hand engraving by Erin Cox Jewellery
Practical tips:
Remodel old wedding or engagement rings into new bands, combining rings from different generations to carry family history forward.
Add hidden hand-engraved details such as names, dates, or meaningful phrases inside the band.
Incorporate commemorative stones - either set discreetly inside the band or as a visible feature.
Use durable gemstones like coloured diamonds or sapphires to symbolise a loved one’s birthstone in a wearable way.
Remembering Loved Ones Through Cakes & Flavours
(With thanks to Bonita, Bonita Bakes)
Even your wedding cake can evoke memories. Bonita shares:
“One couple included home-grown apples from their grandmother’s tree in their cake, creating a flavour that stirred up childhood memories. We also sometimes hide messages inside a tier or inscribe a favourite poem or lyric on the cake board as a keepsake for the couple.”
Other ideas include wafer paper hand-scribed messages or hidden scrolls, giving couples a private moment to honour passed loved ones through taste and touch.
Wafer paper message on a bespoke wedding cake by Bonita Bakes.
Practical tips:
Incorporate flavours connected to a loved one, e.g., home-grown fruit or a family recipe.
Include hidden messages, quotes, or treasured phrases in a cake tier that can be revealed during the cutting.
Inscribe a favourite poem or lyric on the cake board or cake stand as a keepsake.
Use wafer or rice paper with handwritten messages, either as part of the decoration or hidden scrolls.
Do a toast with your lost love one's favourite drink.
Conclusion
Including personal touches for passed loved ones is about connection, memory, and love. Even the smallest detail can carry profound meaning - a photo, a piece of fabric, or a charm tucked into a bouquet; a favourite song woven quietly into the day; a candle or crystal ritual; symbols, handwriting, or jewellery sewn into veils and dresses. Sentimental jewellery and bespoke accessories offer a tangible way to carry family history, while wedding cake flavours and hidden messages can awaken memories through taste and sight.
These gestures - big or small, visible or hidden - weave the presence of loved ones into the wedding day, showing that love transcends absence and that the people we’ve lost can still be part of our most cherished moments.
Your wedding day should be filled with love, joy, and meaningful moments - including those that honour the people who mean the most to you. If you’d like support weaving these personal touches into your big day I'd love to chat. You can also find out about my bespoke commission here. Together, we’ll make sure your special person’s memory is part of the celebration.
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FAQs
1. How can I honour a lost loved one on my wedding day?
Including personal touches such as a photo, a piece of jewellery, or a candle lighting ritual can keep the memory of a lost loved one close on your big day.
2. What are some remembrance ideas for weddings?
Remembrance can take many forms, from playing a favourite song, sewing a keepsake into your wedding dress, or raising a heartfelt toast during the reception.
3. Can I include a family member who has passed in my ceremony?
Yes - couples often create moments of remembrance by leaving a chair open, lighting a candle, or having the officiant share a few words about the family member who meant so much.
4. How do I weave a special person’s memory into my wedding attire?
Your wedding dress can carry hidden details such as embroidery, fabric from their clothing, or charms sewn into the lining, so the special person feels close on your big day.
5. Is it appropriate to make a toast to someone who has passed?
Absolutely. A toast can be a meaningful way to honour a loved one’s life and presence, while also bringing peace and comfort to family members and guests.
6. What subtle ways can I find peace while remembering loved ones at my wedding?
Some couples choose quiet gestures - such as carrying a flower that represents the loved one, including a discreet engraving in their rings, or having a private moment of reflection before the ceremony.