For a lot of couples, family is EVERYTHING. But, for many couples, it can be challenging to think of ways to incorporate your family into your wedding day! Lucky for you, I’ve been a part of MANY weddings these past couple of years. One of my favorite parts of weddings seeing the unique ways my couples incorporate their families on their wedding day!  It’s easy to find examples online of how to incorporate your wedding party, party, and siblings.  For the rest of the family though, the best way to involve them might not always be clear.

So if you’re unsure how to show some love to your family members throughout your wedding day, you’re in luck! We are going over my top 10 ways to incorporate your family into your wedding day!

Planning

Invite them to the Festivities

Close with your parents or grandparents?  Ask for them to be a part of your day! Things like intimate wedding showers, planning meetings, or engagement parties are fun ways to celebrate and spend time with family.  You could even throw a mini bachelor or bachelorette party JUST with your family members!  A karaoke night, BBQ, or local activity can be a great way to celebrate the engagement with your loved ones.

Ask for Their Help

Invite family members to be a part of the planning process!  Addressing invitations, picking out a dress and browsing the internet for dessert ideas, are all easy and fun ways to invite them to be a part of the planning. This can also be a way to spend some time with them while taking some of the pressure of the wedding off your plate.

Schedule in Some Quality Time

For loved ones who have been with you from the beginning, ask them out for a lunch or brunch date!  Use your date as a way to take a break from the wedding planning and catch up on life. Wedding planning season can be BUSY, so slowing down with the ones you love can be a great way to treat yourself.

Decor

Include them in the Wedding Party Color Palette

Not only does it look great for family photos, but it will also be fun shopping for outfits with them! Similar to how you might go shopping with your bridesmaids or gift ties for your groomsmen, get similar attire for your parents, godparents, or grandparents! Another older tradition to incorporate your family in your wedding that I often see is getting your family members boutonnieres and corsages as well to gift them the morning of your wedding.

Repurposing Items from Family Weddings

Did Grandpa save his cuff links from his wedding?  Or maybe there’s a cake topper that’s been passed down for a couple of generations.  All the little details that make up your wedding day can have a little sentimentality by incorporating items from your family’s past.

Showcasing all the Marriages that Make Up Your Family.

Show off all the marriages that eventually brought you together!  Put together a gallery table filled with family history.  Incorporate a photo from each of your family members’ weddings up until yours! This has become such a popular idea for so many couples, I love incorporating family history into wedding decorations.

Timeline

First Looks

First looks are NOT just a photo op for the bride and groom.  They are also a great way to spend some quality time with the people you love.  Schedule a “first look” with dad where you toast to your future with your favorite whiskey.  Schedule a first look with grandma after your hair and makeup is all done, and right before you put on your dress. These small moments can all be documented by your photographer and also give you a bit of alone time with the people you love the most.

Getting Ready

Ask your loved ones to be a part of you getting ready on your wedding day.  Have them put on your veil for you, and help you with your jewelry, ties, and shoes.  All of these little details are great ways to include them in preparing you for your wedding.

Have an Anniversary Dance

An anniversary dance is a super sweet tradition to get all of your family members out on the dance floor and celebrate how long they’ve been married! Have your DJ invite each of your married family members out onto the dance floor. As they play music, they will begin by saying “Please leave the dance floor if you’ve been married for less than a year.” From there they will keep going up, five years, ten years, fifteen years until there is only one person left on the dance floor! Then the DJ will ask the couple that has been married the longest for some marriage advice for you and your honey.

Viewing Party

After the wedding day is done and you’ve received your photos and wedding video, invite your friends and family over for a viewing party!  Use photo-sharing apps like The Guest on your wedding day to collect photos from friends and family. Then create a massive slide show and rewatch it with your loved ones.  It will give you an opportunity to relive your day, and you’ll hear all the fun stories from your loved ones about your day.

There are so many people that have been a part of your journey to getting to where you are right now. Incorporating your family into your wedding day, is a great way to not only say thank you to them, but to also get some quality time with the ones you love.

Looking for more inspiration to help with your wedding planning? Head to my blog where you’ll find endless resources and wedding planning assistance to help you plan your perfect day.