Deceased Family Members?

Question

I was really close to my great grandparents and my fiance was really close with his grandfather. We want to do something in their rememberence for our wedding but not sure exactly what.

I have a really old picture of my great grandparents wedding from the 30s and would somehow love to incorporate it, I'm not sure how I would do that (any suggestions welcome) but i'm wondering if that's appropriate to mix in there.

His grandmother is remarried, so I was thinking maybe flowers in honor of his grandfather since I'm not sure how his grandmother would feel about an old wedding photograph of herself and her late husband since she's now remarried.

Is this a good idea? or does anyone have any other suggestions?

we're doing an indoor ceremony in a museum, we don't really have an altar to put anything on so it would have to be somewhere at the reception...

Answer 1

We wanted to do the same at our wedding since so many of our family members are deceased. We put their names on the back of the wedding program and wrote: "In memory of...then their name, their relationship to us, and their dates of birth/death. That way, the guests could read about it in the program.
Then at the reception, we put a table out and placed alot of family wedding photographs, including those of the deceased, and placed them on a table in an area of the room where people would walk by. That way, alot of attention wasn't drawn to the pics but people could look at them if they wanted to.

Answer 2

I attended a reception where the bride and groom had placed wedding photos of just about everyone one could think of in the families all around the wedding cake. The table for the cake was a 8ft round. It was lovely.If there is a picture of the grandmother who remarried from both her weddings, that would take care of that problem. See how many family wedding photos you can collect and mix them up.

Answer 3

Incorporating pictures is a great way to remember those that can't be with you on your wedding day. You could design some of your centerpieces, or place cards, around different photos. They don't just have to include your grandparents, but can be living members of your family too.

Use a pic of just his grandfather, doesn't have to be a wedding photo, so it isn't weird for his remarried grandmother.

Answer 4

I would not put out pictures at the wedding- but at the reception ,I think it would be lovely to put a table with fresh flowers, and pictures of you and your new hubby, picture of your great-grandparents, and since his grandmother was widowed, not divorced, why not have pictures of both her husbands? I thik it would be a great tribute, not an insult in any way! What about a wedding photo of your parents?/ Good luck...

Answer 5

We took all the wedding photos of our great grandparents down to our siblings, scanned them to the computer, touched up what needed it, then printed them out. We put them in matching frames,with a tag with the names and dates on it and had the caterer scatter them in no particular order on the cake table. You could do the same, but for his grandfather put both pictures, his first and second weddings. That way you don't play favorites or hurt the new wife's feelings.

Answer 6

Take old photos and get them laminated along with a story of the person pictured. Something like a good memory. Place one on each table (not all on each table, just one). That way when guest get up to mingle and go to a different tables there will be a different picture and a different story. I would get a little stand for the pics or you can even get matching frames. A friend of mine did this and I loved it!

Answer 7

One of my girlfriends placed roses on the reserved chairs at the front for the family and each rose had a small card with the deceased family member's name on it.
Another had a table off to the side of the alter with a single candle and pics of the departed family members and an usher lit the candles as part of the pre-ceremony (before the bride walked down the aisle). I think that a pic of the Grandfather would be great but not the wedding pic, but ask his Grandma if she would be offended. The old pic of your great grandparents wedding would be precious. Maybe you could display it near the guestbook? Congrats and I hope everything goes well

Answer 8

I am getting married next year, both parents, great and grandparents are deceased. I am using memorial candles that can be personalized with up to four names. So when I do my unity ceremony, I have incorporated the loved ones who are no longer here. Another suggestion is a picture in a locket, keychain, and engraved hanky.

Answer 9

I am not a fan of memorializing the dead at weddings. Everyone says "It's MY day" then they want all kinds of reminders and tributes and hoopla over dead relatives. Worst, absolutely horrible, is the rose on the empty chair.

Oh that would be great, your fiancee's grandmother, there with her second husband, having her first husband memorialized. Can you spell a w k w a r d? What is the message there? That if your husband dies first, you can get married again?

I was at a wedding where people started crying over someone who had died, someone from the bride's side (I was on the groom's side) and it was uncomfortable.

It's a wedding or it's a town meeting. Take your pick.

Answer 10

I think it would be nice if you could set up two easles on the altar, one with the picture of your great-grandparents and one of his grandfather by himself (like a head and shoulders shot)
facing the congregation, maybe with some little floral display at the bottom. That way, they can be part of the wedding since their photos would be in most of your wedding pictures.