A tribute to a lost loved one.....

Does anyone have any recommendations for paying tribute to a deceased parent. I would like to incorporate lighting a candle for my mother at the ceremony with some short, nice words from the reverend. I would like it to be uplifting and special...not depressing. Anyone seen something like this done or have any ideas??? Thank so much...

I think the candle lighting idea followed by a few uplifting words will be a nice tribute.
I lost my dad last May and will be getting married next March. My father LOVED to sing and I am considering honoring him by having someone (with a phenomenal voice of course) sing his favorite song during our ceremony.

I think that will be a beautiful tribute. I'm sorry for your loss. I think a wedding and a birth must be the most difficult 'occasions' to have without one of your parents. How are you coping?

I forgot to mention in my last posting that I am also going to have a picture of my mother on me. You know the Tiffany heart bracelet?? I bought a regular simple bracelet that I will attach a small silver heart frame (the size of a locket) to the clasp...in the frame will be my mother's picture. Very simple and beautiful. I am so excited that I found a subtle way to carry her close to me.... hope this gives some ideas to others.

I like personal tributes more than public ones. I feel that it is such an emotional day that even if you think the tribute will be uplifting it may make you or some of your family very, very sad. But that is JMO.
I am honoring both of my grandmothers (who I loved very much and lost 3 years ago) by:
-Wearing my nanny's cross
-carrying my grandmother's prayer book. the same one she carried on her wedding day.
-having my Nanny's favoriate song, Ava Maria, sung as the mothers walk down the aisle
-putting a small butterfly pin in my flowers since they were my grandmother's favorite.

I also lost my Mom about 2 years ago. I will do many personal things that I'll keep to myself, but I will have a public tribute.

I will honor my Mother's memory, and the memory of my FH's best friend, who passed recently, my aunt, and his uncle as well.

I am not doing it during the ceremony, b/c I think I will cry too much, it will be so emotional.

So instead, I will write a short poem and recite it at the reception after the speeches. I will follow it by having the DJ play Janet Jackson's 'Together Again'.

FH's parents passed and we are going to remember them by reading the Prayer of the Faithful and mention their names in the reading. (his uncle will read this during our ceremony)

We also plan on lighting a candle (after we light our unity candle) in memory of his parents.

We didn't want to do too much more than that because we were afraid some guests would get too emotional.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss....