Ideas for Incorporating Ashes into Wedding Ceremonies
Your wedding day should be one of the most memorable days of your life, but it can become a day filled with sadness if you’re dealing with a recent bereavement. As much as we feel the love of those present, we also feel the absence of those who cannot be there.
If you want to feel close to your loved one on your wedding day, including their ashes in the event could help you to find closure. Rather than trying to shut out your emotions and not think about your loss, including your loved one’s ashes can help you to feel the good and the bad emotions related to bereavement.
If you’re struggling for inspiration on how to include those who aren’t with us anymore in your wedding celebrations, we have some excellent suggestions for you. Follow these tips to create a touching tribute to your loved one, even after death.
Add ashes to your wedding band
Memorial jewellery is common in wedding ceremonies and will help you to feel closer to your loved one. This involves creating a small compartment in the wedding band and adding a small amount of the ashes. If your loved one was supposed to walk you down the aisle, then this can be a touching way to give you the strength to continue with your plans in their absence.
No one needs to know that you are wearing memorial jewellery, as it will look like any other piece of jewellery. It’s common to add the ashes of parents and grandparents to your wedding bands, as this will create a lasting memorial that forms the foundation of your marriage.
Add ashes to your wedding cufflinks
Wedding memorial jewellery is not limited to rings. Men might consider adding ashes to their cufflinks to help keep the memory of a loved one close. Getting married without your parents or grandparents can be a difficult step to navigate. By creating a piece of memorial jewellery like cufflinks, you can feel supported by their spirit and presence.
Add ashes to your wedding earrings
Similar to cufflinks, you might also want to add ashes to a pair of earrings to wear on your wedding day. Diamond studs with a secret hidden compartment containing the ashes of a loved one will not only look beautiful, but they will also help you to feel closer to your loved one. Commissioning a special piece of jewellery like this can help with the grieving process, as it’s a very productive and positive way to channel your grief.
Set a place at the table
It’s common to light a candle and to leave a space at the table for those who could not be there for your special day. You could take this one step further by creating a glass pebble continuing the ashes of your loved one and a touching inscription. This will create a special place at the table and provide explanation as to why the seat is left empty. You might continue this tradition and involve your loved one in all family events, including birthday and Christmas meals.
Scatter the ashes at your wedding venue
If you are getting married in a beautiful spot, you could take time out of the madness of the day to find time to scatter your loved one’s ashes. This could be a touching way to pay tribute to your loved one and make time in the day to honour their memory.
It will then attach additional significance to the venue, as it will also become their final resting place. If the person was heavily involved in the wedding planning and had a lot of attachment to the location, this can make it even more special.
Include the ashes in the ceremony
Adding a section of the ceremony to mark the scattering of the ashes is a beautiful way to include your loved one in your big day. It helps to highlight their importance in your life and will allow you to share your love with everyone present. This can be very emotionally charged, so it’s important to work with your registrar or celebrant to make sure that it is included in the best possible way.
If the person was intending to make a speech at the wedding, you might ask someone else to read this for them. Or, you could include a short poem or reading to pay tribute to them during the speeches.
Will this bring sadness to a happy occasion?
If you are dealing with grief on your wedding day, there will be no way to avoid the sadness. By shining a light on the loss and finding a way to pay tribute to your loved one, you’ll be able to manage your grief in an intentional way.
People often find that making time and space for their loved one in the ceremony is far better than pretending that nothing has happened and everything is okay. It’s far more authentic to acknowledge the sadness and allow yourself a quiet moment of reflection.
Some people might find it morose to mark the occasion by observing the loss, but they don’t have to be included. This is why memorial jewellery can be so effective, as it means you can keep the information to yourself if you want.
Final thoughts on including ashes in your wedding
Getting married without important loved ones by your side might be a difficult task, but there are simple ways you can pay tribute to those who cannot be there. It’s also worth noting that it’s not only beloved family members and friends who might be included in this wedding tradition. Plenty of people will want to mark the passing of a beloved pet if this happens suddenly before the ceremony.
At the end of the day, it’s your wedding day, and you are free to mark the occasion in any way you wish. With memorial jewellery, you’ll find it much easier to include loved ones in your special day without making this the focal point.