How to Include Family Traditions in Your Wedding Day
One of the best parts of planning a wedding is figuring out how to make it feel like your wedding.
The flowers and colors certainly help, but some of the details you'll remember most aren't necessarily the prettiest ones. They're the ones that mean something.
Including family traditions in your wedding is a beautiful way to connect your new marriage with the people and stories that helped get you here. And it doesn't have to mean following every wedding tradition your family has ever had.
Pick the ones that matter to you and make them your own.
Wear Something With a Story
The classic "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" is popular for a reason.
Wearing or carrying something that belonged to a family member can be such a simple way to include them in your day.
Maybe it's your grandmother's jewelry, your mom's veil, a piece of fabric from a wedding dress, your dad's cufflinks, or even a small keepsake tucked into your bouquet.
It doesn't have to be something guests will ever notice. Sometimes the most meaningful details are just for you.
Recreate a Family Wedding Photo
This one is fun.
If your parents or grandparents have a favorite wedding portrait, consider recreating it on your own wedding day.
It could be the same pose, a similar location, or even just a photo holding their framed wedding picture.
Then someday you'll have both images to display together.
Include Family in Your Ceremony
There are so many ways to involve family members in the ceremony without necessarily adding them to the wedding party.
Ask someone special to:
Read a favorite scripture or passage
Lead a prayer
Perform a song
Officiate the ceremony
Participate in a unity ceremony
We've seen so many variations over the years, and these moments often end up being some of the most personal parts of the ceremony.
Incorporate Your Family's Culture
If your family has cultural or religious wedding traditions, your wedding is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate them.
You don't have to incorporate every tradition exactly as it's always been done, either. Talk with your families about which ones are especially meaningful and decide how you'd like to include them.
Combining traditions from two different families can also be a beautiful representation of what marriage is all about: bringing two families together.
Serve a Family Favorite
Traditions don't have to happen during the ceremony.
Food is one of the easiest ways to bring family history into your reception.
Maybe there's a dessert your grandmother always makes, a signature drink your family loves, or a late-night snack that has become an inside joke.
You could even display family recipes alongside the dessert table or serve a family recipe as part of the meal.
Display Wedding Photos From Your Families
We love seeing old wedding photos incorporated into reception décor.
Gather wedding portraits from parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents and create a small display.
It's beautiful décor, but it also tells a story.
Your wedding becomes another chapter in a much bigger family history.
Start a New Tradition
Not every wedding tradition has to come from the past.
Your wedding can also be the beginning of something new.
Write letters to open on an anniversary. Start a family Bible together. Create a keepsake you'll add to each year. Choose a special song that becomes part of future anniversaries.
Someday, the tradition your children or grandchildren include in their weddings might be one that started with you.
Keep the Traditions That Mean Something
You don't have to incorporate a tradition just because your family has always done it.
If it feels meaningful, include it.
If it doesn't feel like you, it's okay to leave it behind.
The best traditions aren't the ones you include because you're supposed to. They're the ones that remind you where you came from while celebrating the family you're beginning together.
And those are the details that tend to matter long after the wedding day is over.