Mу beloved father passed away four years ago. Whіlе I wουld nοt hаνе wanted tο bе ‘given away’, I wουld hаνе lονеd fοr hіm tο escort mе down thе aisle.
Iѕ іt appropriate fοr mе tο walk down thе aisle οn mу οwn?
Alѕο – іѕ thеrе a way tο tastefully honor a deceased parent аt a wedding without turning a рlеаѕеd event іntο a sad one? It’s сеrtаіnlу going tο bе a bittersweet day fοr mе. I wаѕ very close tο mу dad аnd I still miss hіm (always wіll).
Anу suggestions wουld bе appreciated.
I ѕhουld аlѕο mention thаt аll οf mу grandparents аnd many aunts аnd uncles аrе deceased аѕ well. I really don’t hаνе anyone еlѕе I wουld want tο take Dad’s рlасе. I guess I јυѕt wanted аll οf уου tο tеll mе thаt, yes, іt’s fine tο escort myself. 
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yes, you can walk down by yourself.
why don’t you say in the wedding program that you are being escorted by your father in heaven. 
you might have a small memory table of your father, a picture of him and smaller pics of you and him together.
At a wedding I attended, the bride walked down the aisle with a a photo of her deceased father. Personally, I found that a small creepy, but I guess it was right for her. I would have someone else you are close to escort you down the aisle, and place something in the (flyer handout… that book you get heh) saying “Joe is walking Kate down the aisle in honor of her deseased and beloved father, John”
You could question the person doing the wedding to take a moment for those who couldn’t be here today, and include your father’s name in that as well.
And you can leave open a empty sit next to your mother. We did that for my grandfather. Congrats and excellent luck
I would place his picture in a chair in the front row, one withe him smiling…that way you could at least see him and imagine he is really there…but I’m sure his spirit will be there with you.
…remember, this is YOUR wedding, do what you want, but you want…if someone gets offended, it’s their problem. It’s your day, celebrate you but you want.
I would have a relative of his – brother, uncle, grandparent take his place.
Flowers and a paragraph in the wedding program are really nice too.
You could walk down the aisle alone if that’s what you want or, you could have your mom walk you down the aisle. What about an uncle, one of his brothers if he had any, that you were very close to. What about a brother. As far as a remembrance at the wedding, what about a single separate candle burning next to your unity candle and then clarify what the candle represents in your wedding program.
I reckon memory candles are gorgeous. You can have it personalized with his name. Or, you can get a bud vase personalized with his name, and maybe ” Forever my father, forever in my heart” and your wedding date…
I know of two ways to honor deceased loved ones.
1. Acknowledge them in the program. You can write a small blurb on the last page talking about your father and any other relatives.
2. Acknowledge them during a ceremony by lighting a candle in their honor. You can mention in the program why you are lighting the candle, or the pastor can say a few words.
And yes, you can either walk down alone or have your mother escort you – there is no rule that your escort needs to be male.
awww…i feel for you……maybe have your bridesmaids carry candles (or your dad’s favorite item instead of flowers) down the aisle in his honor…….that way it’s not too in your face and hopefully won’t make you weep too hard. Also, it’s ok to walk by yourself…….I reckon gloria estefan walked down the aisle by herself because she said no-one could take her father’s place…..best of luck and congrats on your wedding!
Yes to both…it’s ur wedding and if u choose to walk urself that’s perfectly fine and tasteful. U could also have ur mom walk u…that’s what I’m doing. As for honoring his memory, have a separate candle lit in his honor. My fiance’s mom passed recently and this is what we’ve chosen to do to honor her. Get a gorgeous candle (perhaps a unity candle of ur choice) or have one specially made~ a picture of the both u (u and ur dad) on the candle with a simple, sweet, and gorgeous phrase below the pic. U can lite the candle before ur actual vows and ceremony start and also have a prayer if u choose. U do what makes u comfortable. But this way, u honor him and u make him apart of ur huge day without it becoming a funeral all over again.
I’m so sorry about your father but I’m sure he’s with you in your heart every day!
You can honor you father in many ways. You can carry a picture of him in a locket from your bouquet, have a memorial candle along side of a single rose or other flower and light the candle during the ceremony in his honor, mention him in your program, etc. You could walk down the aisle by yourself or you could consider your mother, an uncle or maybe even a brother?
Walking down the aisle by yourself would be perfectly fine, but is there another male in your family you’re close to? Such as a brother or uncle? If not, that’s perfectly fine. I just suggested it in case you felt a small uneasy about going down the aisle by yourself.
As for remembering your father, I’d suggest lighting an “In Rememberance” candle. Reserve a special place in the ceremony for your beloved father to be remembered where you (or you and your new groom if you like) light a candle in rememberance of him as a way to symbolize he is there. You could also place a rose beside your mother as a way of saying you remember him, you know he would be sitting there proudly if he could be there, and for others to remember him as well.
Have a close male relative walk you down the aisle and, at the reception, mention how you wish he could have been there, He would want you to be pleased on your wedding day so do your best to be.
My husband died the year before our daughter was to be married. The invitations read
Mrs. Jane Doe , in honor of Mr John Doe, and Mr. and Mrs George Brown , request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their children—————. I walked her down the aisle. Just whatever you feel l;ike doing. ITS YOUR DAY. (He’s watching)
I am sorry about your father. Did your father have a special family member or a close friend of your fathers that would be honored to escort you down the aisle.
As for honoring your father, I have seen people carry family bibles or handkerchiefs of the person they wanted to honor. I have also seen incorporating a piece of their jewelry ( rosary beads, their wedding ring, etc) into the bouquet. You could have the officiant of the wedding say something special about them and how they are missed.
Whatever you do, know that your father will be there to witness this this special day and wishing he could be there too.
You could have the minister say something like this Thank you for being our honored guest at this joyous occasion ,we would also like to honor the brides deceased fahter who is smiling down upon us , evevn though he want to be here today he is with us always in spirit or you could have a candle lighten to repersent him being there in spirit it is ok for you to walk down the aisle alone you also could have a brother or any other close family member walk you down the aisle
im relly sorry ypur dad couldnt be there but he will be there in spirit
My fiances mom passed away in 2004 we are getting married in 2008 and we are having a photo of his mom on the chair that she would sit at, at the ceremony and when he walked up to the alter he is going to place a single red rose next to her photo.
I have seen a bridegroom honor his deceased mother this way: The two mothers were to go up and light candles. Since the bridegroom’s mother was deceased, the minister just spoke about her, said how she was there in spirit among them, and that HER mother (the bridegroom’s grandmother) would be lighting the candle instead. It was very touching.
You could have the minister speak about your Dad. Have them say how he is there in spirit with you on your special day, and if you want, have your mother or a sibling/uncle walk with you down the aisle. I hope you post on here and tell us what you choose. Have a wonderful wedding.
You can walk down the aisle alone, or have your mother, uncle, brother, etc. walk you down. I like the thought someone suggested of printing in the program (if you have one), “Joe is walking Katie down the aisle in loving memory of her father, John.”
In addition, at my cousin’s wedding, my father made a speech on behalf of his brother who was too ill to attend his son’s wedding. Someone could make a brief speech on behalf of your father. Something to the effect of: “As many of you know, Katie’s father, John Smith, passed away 4 years ago, so unfortunately did not live to see this special day in Katie’s life. They were very close. If he were here, he would be up here in my place, smiling from ear-to-ear, toasting Katie whom he loved so much. I know he would be so pleased for her and so proud. Please join me in this brief moment of silence in memory of Katie’s father, who is here in spirit.”
Yes in fact it is better if you walk down the aisle without anyone else since your father is symbolically at your side that way. Have a rose where he would have sat in the pew and thats all. He is in your heart and would want you to celebrate your day without having it be a memorial to him.
I reckon it would be appropriate to walk down the aisle on your own if that is your wish. On the other hand If you have someone that was particularly close to you and your dad, I reckon it would be lovely to question them to stand in for your dad. Maybe even carry a favorite photo of you and your dad in their pocket? As far as a tasteful way to honor your dads memory I believe that not feeling sad on your wedding day would be the best way to do that. You should hold pleased thoughts of your dad on your pleased day. He is only absent in body he will still very much be present in your heart and mind.
Its your wedding do what ever you want. I have been to others that have had parent pass and they leave an empty chair with a picture on it. He may not be there in body but he will be watching.
You will look lovely walking down the aisle on your own!! It shows what a strong woman you are!! I would suggest a memorial candle at the reception or the church.Or both. The mention in the wedding program would be nice too. I would just remind you that it is going to be a very emotional day for you anyways, so to have a ceremonial thing done or said during the wedding might be a bit overwhelming for you. Excellent luck!!!
You can escort yourself if there is no one else you’d choose.
I was just at a wedding where the bride’s mother was deceased. They had a nice thing written in the program about her. They said that the rose was her favorite flower and that the roses represented her.
There were only roses in the brides bouquet- which was all white. Then there was a chair left empty in the front row, and on it sat a small half-round arrangement of pink roses to represent her mom. (her wedding colors did not include pink so this stood out as being something special) It was small- maybe 5 roses total- not a huge thing.
When the ceremony was over, someone was designated to pick up the flowers off the seat and carry them back down after the wedding party left the front. It wasn’t a huge production, but those who were paying attention ‘got it’
At the reception thee was a nice picture of her mom showed along with that pink rose arrangement.
I thought it was very touching and didn’t seem sad, or make anyone feel “down”
You could do something like that to represent your father. Or a single red rose- something along that line. If you choose to walk down the aisle by yourself, maybe you could carry the flower and set it on an empty seat if you feel that would be appropriate.
I’m sorry for the loss of your father. I’m sure he will be smiling down on your wedding day and you will feel his presence.
it is perfectly fine to walk down the aisle by yourself. my fiance’s brother passed away two years ago. he had brain cancer at 23. so we will not be having a best man because he was supposed to be the best man. we are going to have a candle in memory of him and all others who couldn’t be there with us on the day we get married. excellent luck on your wedding day.
Yes, of course it’s fine to walk up the aisle by yourself. My father had died two years before I got married. My husband and I walked up the aisle together, with our attendants walking in as couples before us.
What I did was talk about my dad, and my mom as well, when we gave our thank you talk at the reception program. I reckon it’s the best time.
You will be thinking of your dad during the day, anyway, but it’s best to keep the day a very pleased occasion for the two of you!
Best wishes!