wedding photos

Ways to Honour Lost Loved Ones At Your Wedding

Honouring a loved one or loved ones who have passed away is a really heartfelt and special thing to do on your wedding day. From remembering grandparents, parents, friends, or other loved ones who are no longer here, it adds a really personal touch to your wedding celebrations. Indeed it’s a day when family and friends who may not have seen each other in a long time, or perhaps even since the person in question has passed away, finally get together and it is only right that the person is remembered on this special day.

It can be emotional however! Especially as a wedding day is high on emotion at the best of times, so be prepared to shed a tear when you do see your tribute in the flesh. There’s lots of ways to honour someone and they don’t all have to be grand gestures. There’s plenty of ways to do it privately which indeed can be even more special. The thing to remember is that, there is no wrong way to remember someone and do whatever feels right for you both as a couple.

If you’d like to chat about this or any other aspect of your wedding day décor, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

 

Private Tribute
You don’t have to make a public tribute to your loved one. Instead something private can be even more meaningful and special. Think about wearing something of the deceased maybe earrings, a necklace or cufflinks or even the wedding bands themselves? Or what about putting a small photo of the loved one the bride’s bouquet or the grooms buttonhole? Speaking of the flowers why not incorporate the person’s favourite blooms into the bouquets?

 

Photos and Candles
Photos are of course one of the easiest ways to remember a loved one or loved ones. Setting up a photo or memory table at your reception is a lovely way to remember them. This can be photos on a table, or you could get creative and have a photo wall or board. Look for photos of them maybe on their wedding day and leave a note to guests to explain the significance. Also having some candles interspersed with the photos looks lovely too. And don’t forget a message or dedication. You could also have photos of the deceased on a chair or seat at the ceremony in their honour.

Make a Toast
This can be a little hard to do, especially as emotions are running high on the wedding day anyway, but if you think you can hold it together, then making a toast or small speech is a truly beautiful way to pay tribute to a loved one. You can talk about them as a person and the impact they had on your life and end with a small toast.

 

Favours
This gives you lots of scope to be creative. You might want to offer guests something that was a favourite of the person you’re trying to remember, such as a chocolate, a mini bottle of their favourite tipple, macaroons, jams, soaps, flowers, seeds etc and this can be kept private in that only you or your partner know, or you can have a little note to explain the meaning for each guest. If the person may have passed away after a battle with an illness, a lovely way to remember them is with a donation to a foundation that aids others with the same condition in lieu of an actual favour. Many charities do this and offer little notes to explain for each guest.

 

 

How to Include Family Photos in Your Wedding Decor

Including photos in your wedding day is not only hugely meaningful and poignant, but they can also look incredible too. They are also one of the best ways to make the day feel really special and personalised to you as a couple.

There’s plenty of ways to incorporate photos, be it of yourself and your husband or wife to be, your parents, your grandparents or even to pay tribute to those who are no longer with us. If you don’t want to have a big splash with photos, then why not add a small photo to the bride’s bouquet or the grooms buttonhole? Simply displaying photos on a mantelpiece or table is another low key way to include them.

Don’t forget a wedding day is the coming together of two families, so don’t be afraid to go all out with a ‘family tree’ photo display of sorts.

If you’d like to chat about this or any aspect of your wedding day décor, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

 

In the Church
Pew ends can be a little predictable at times, so why not mix things up and have some photos of either the couple or the parents and grandparents as pew ends? Also consider having small keepsake style photos of parents or family members who are no longer here on the bride’s bouquet and on the grooms buttonhole.

 

Table Plans and Escort Cards
This may require a wee bit of planning, but the results are very much worth it. You will need to track down a photo of each guest and hang it up in a frame, set out in escort cards, or hang from a tree or display and have the table number on each photo! Alternatively why not have images of both of your as a couple and tie them to balloons and have them serve as escort cards or the table plan?

 

Table Décor
Why not have a picture of each of you at the age of each table number and display on the tables instead of table names? Or pick out a year in your lives and have this serve as the table number with a picture of you from that year. There’s lots of creative ways to do this. Why not have the photos under cloche jars? Stacked on your favourite books, or in a birdcage? Alternatively you could display retro images of your parents and grandparents. Or if you both have the travel bug then why not have a picture of you both in a different destination and have this as the table name?

 

Around the Room and Venue
A wedding is fundamentally the coming together of two families, so why not have a family tree of sorts if you have outdoor access in your venue. Simply post photos of both families on a tree. Or you could hang photos from branches, or display them on antique style doors or palettes. If you’re making your own DIY photobooth why not have some family photos hanging on it too? And don’t forget the wedding cake! There’s lots of scope to use photos instead of traditional cake toppers.

 

Wedding Photobooth Fun

Having a photobooth at your wedding equals guaranteed fun and laughter! For many couples, their official photographer will be done and dusted by the time the meal is fully underway and the dancing begins. The beauty of a photobooth is that it gives you the chance to get different sorts of photos of your guests and pictures of different groups of guests when they are fully relaxed and ready to have some major fun! Props are a must for photobooths; from funny moustaches, to signs, to big lips, glasses, wigs and anything else you can think of that might elicit a giggle.

There’s several options for setting up a photobooth, you can chose a professional photobooth hire, or you can go for a DIY version. It’s completely up to you and your budget. Either way, a photobooth is huge fun and the snaps will definitely make you smile when you go through them during the post wedding weeks and months.

As well as being an award-winning wedding planner, I also run perfectphotobooth.com, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like our photobooth at your wedding day.

 

 

Photobooths
They are just like the old fashioned booths where you might have gotten your passport photos taken, only generally bigger, with most wedding photobooths catering for a group of people at one time. There’s normally a start button and a countdown and then the happy snapping begins. Make sure to fill the booth with lots of fun props. The beauty of a professional photobooth is that everything about the process runs super smoothly and at the end of it, the guests are left with fantastic photos in their hands, plus most upload them to an online gallery so everyone can access them.
photobooth

 
DIY Booths
A professional photobooth hire might not be in every couple’s budget, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have the essence of a photobooth in your big day! There’s lots of ways to set one up and if you’re a DIY lover then this will really appeal to you. You can use practically anything that fits in with your décor, from retro screens, to homemade frames, to painted backdrops, to streamers, to an antique couch, to an old door frame and so on. The only limit is your imagination. You’ll also need to either set up a tripod for your camera or iPad, and leave instructions for the guests on setting up the timer, or go old school and leave out a polaroid for some selfie fun! And don’t forget the props!

Props
Props are super important for your photobooth, whether it be a professionally hired booth or a DIY booth, good props will make or break it. The old starworts like moustaches, lips, wigs, oversized glasses, funny hats, Elvis glasses etc, are always a good choice, but think about other options that will fit in with your theme or interests. For example are you total movie buffs? Then why not have some clapperboards and movie star inspired disguises. Or if you adore Alice in Wonderland for example then make sure you’ve got Alice bands, Mad Hatter Style hats and ‘Eat Me,’ ‘Drink Me’ Signs. Professional photobooth hire companies often provide props too, but it’s good to throw in some of your own as well.

Wedding Gifts for Parents

For most couples, your parents are a wonderful support to have during the wedding and the planning stages. But of course your parents are a source of support, love and kindness not just throughout the wedding, but indeed for your entire lives. They’ve been there for all the tears, the laughter, the testing times and the happy times. In short they have been your rock for a large part of your lives and when it comes to finally walking down the aisle, it can be an emotional time for everyone. That’s why it’s a nice idea to get your parents a small token to say thanks. Not just for their support on your wedding day, but for your whole life! Of course that doesn’t mean you have to splash out on something hugely expensive, indeed smaller, more thoughtful gifts often turn out to be the best. Try and take a quiet moment on the morning of the wedding and give your parents these gifts… and have a few tissues at the ready, as it’s likely to be emotional!

As an award winning wedding planner, I’ve helped lots of couples to have the day of their dreams and watched as they celebrated with their parents and loved ones. If you’d like to chat about how I can help plan your big day, then please get in touch. In the meantime, here are some super sweet ideas for wedding gifts for parents.

 

Handkerchiefs
No matter how ‘together’ you think you are, it’s very likely there will be some happy tears at some point during your wedding day and taking a moment to tell your parents how much they mean to you, can be one of those moments for all of you. So a personalised handkerchief with a heartfelt message on it, is an ideal gift that will also serve a purpose!

 

Jewellery
Jewellery is always a good call and it doesn’t have to be some super expensive piece either. Instead, why not think about personalised cufflinks or a money clip for your dad with a sweet message on it, or a bracelet or necklace for your mum with the date engraved on it and presented in a personalised box. It’s something that when they wear it, it will remind them of the big day.

 

Plates
A presentation plate is a super idea for a special present to both your parents. Again you can get these hand painted with a special message and it can be hung on the wall or displayed in your parents’ house.

 

Personalised coasters
This is a really sweet idea. Why not get some coasters made up for the reception with some words that are a tribute to both of your parents? You could even add in some funny quotes from them too.

 

Post Wedding Gift
As well as a small heartfelt gift on the wedding day, consider getting some special photos done on the day and present them to your parents after the wedding. For example, you could have a photo where you both hold up a picture of your parents on their wedding day or even recreate your favourite photo from your parents wedding day and present it to them in a frame.

Travel Themed Wedding

While not every couple chooses a conscious theme for their big day, it is a nice touch to try and include your shared passions in some way. Why? Well for one thing, it will make the day feel more personalised and special, as it will reflect both of you as a couple. Many couples have a love of travel, for example, and indeed this theme is one of the most popular I see as an award-winning wedding coordinator. It’s popular for some many reasons- You may have taken a year out travelling the globe together, or indeed met while you were away. You might both be from Ireland, but live abroad in places such as Australia or Canada and have come home to say ‘I Do’.

Here are some of my top tips for travel related décor in your wedding day. If you’d like to discuss your wedding day needs in more detail, please get in touch.

Stationary
Giving your wedding stationary a bit of a wanderlust makeover is a simple way to inject a bit of personality into proceedings. Think about having mini passport style save the dates or boarding card invitations, travel themed menus or even orders of service for the ceremony.

 

Table Plan
The table plan really allows for some fun, no matter what your theme is. But when it comes to a wedding theme you can ramp up the cute factor with all sorts of maps related seating plans, globes and luggage tags galore.

 

On the Table
Small things done well can really bring the wow factor to your wedding and a travel theme is no exception. Simple centrepieces of your favourite travel books, mini globes, postcards from your favourite destinations as table names, and real luggage tags as place cards can look stunning and be a bit of a fun ice breaker for the guests too.

 

Food
Your wedding cake is always going to be something of a centrepiece that most guests take the time to have a look at. So why not make it a cornerstone of your theme? Think tiers of suitcases, globes, cruise ships, planes, the Eiffel tower, the Sydney opera house and anything your imagination can think of! And don’t forget your canapés. If you and your partner adore sushi from Japan, or can’t get enough of American BBQ why not reflect this on your pre-dinner canapés or your midnight snack?

 

Photo Props
Finally, using props in your photos is a lasting way to include a travel theme into your day. Think about using vintage suitcases for some of the pictures or have guests throw plane shaped confetti!