How to Highlight Your Grandparents on Your Wedding Day

Help them feel like a special part of the celebration.

For those brides and grooms who will be lucky enough to have their grandparents present on the big day, finding ways to highlight these special family members is a lovely touch that is sure to be appreciated.

By Emily Lasnier

grandmother-flower-girl-outdoor-wedding-blue-dress
Photo: GarrenTee Photography

While a wedding is, of course, ultimately about the couple exchanging vows, it is also often about celebrating two families coming together. Whether or not your parents are helping pay for the nuptials, you likely have considered gifts and ways to include them in the big day. However, did you remember your grandparents? Sadly, many brides and grooms will have grandparents who have passed away before the vow exchange, which is why memorial tables and heirlooms are often such an important thing to include when planning.

For those who will be lucky enough to have their grandparents present on the big day, finding ways to highlight these special family members is a lovely touch that is sure to be appreciated. Below are our suggestions on how to honor your grandparents on your wedding day, aside from a more typically expected corsage or boutonniere. 

Grandma as Flower Girl

Photo by Brett Matthews Photography; Venue: Oheka Castle

- A “first look.” The popular ritual is moving beyond the happy couple laying eyes on each other before the ceremony and has extended to brides greeting their fathers. Why not give a beloved grandparent a sneak peek of your bridal look?
- Ceremony reading. While it certainly works for secular weddings, given that the older generations are often the more religious members of many families, a reading during your vow exchange in a house of worship may carry special meaning to your grandparents.
- Serve as flower girl or ring bearer. We love the recent trend of brides and grooms having their grandparents take the role of flower girl or ring bearer. It fills a ceremony with even more joy than there would already be on such a special day.
- Wedding pictures. For grandparents who are still together (or were still together at the time of one of their deaths), including a framed portrait from their nuptials will make a wonderful touch to your guest-book table.
- Honorary dance. At a time when many people are cynical about marriage, highlighting a couple that has stood the test of time makes for a great feature at your celebration. Honor the 50-plus year marriage of your grandparents by giving them their own special moment on the dance floor.  

For more ideas, discover how to include family photos in your wedding décor and learn how to honor departed loved ones. 

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