Ultimate Guide to Remembrance Candles at Celebrant Weddings
Non-traditional, symbolic ceremonies with Michelle Park
Hi, I’m Michelle - your Yorkshire wedding celebrant. I specialise in curating symbolic, non-traditional wedding ceremonies that feel beautiful, joyful and heartfelt. All of my wedding ceremonies are bespoke, cleverly tailored to fit your unique style and personality. This means they are filled to the brim with personal touches and treasured moments, evoking memories to last forever.
“An unforgettable, heartfelt ceremony perfectly crafted for us...
We couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful celebrant. From the very first meeting, she spent so much time getting to know us—listening to our story, understanding our personalities, and learning what really mattered to us. Her warmth and curiosity instantly put us at ease, and it was clear she genuinely cared about making our ceremony deeply personal.”
In this blog post, we’ll discover different ways to honour deceased loved ones, in your wedding ceremony. In particular, we’ll take a closer look at the symbolism behind remembrance candles and consider the memorable way they can be woven into a wedding ceremony.
Honouring loved ones at your wedding
It can be hard to imagine getting married when you’ve experienced significant loss. The death of a loved one is bound to be felt even more deeply on your wedding day and, amid the chaos that comes with planning a wedding, grief can be hard to navigate. Whilst I can’t pretend to know exactly how you’re feeling, it’s my job as your celebrant to support you through the process - holding space for those heavy feelings whilst providing guidance on how to weave together feelings of love, loss and memory on your special day.
“We had quite a lot of poignant elements we wanted to include in the celebrant speech, such as family bereavements and my own breast cancer diagnosis, and Michelle covered these so beautifully in a way that was touching and moving but still emphasised the joy of the occasion.”
Photographer: Joanna Bongard Photo
It’s important to me that, when it comes to honouring loved ones on your wedding day, I get the sentiment just right. So I’m always considering new and immersive celebrant rituals which feel suitably poignant yet also subtle and celebratory. Lighting a remembrance candle is a good way to achieve this. For me, the light of a flame symbolises warmth and light; a reminder to us all, to hold missing loved ones close in our own hearts and minds.
Tim Stewart Photography Venue: Guisborough Hall
A Remembrance Candle With Meaning
Incorporating the lighting of a remembrance candle into your celebrant ceremony is easy to do and looks beautiful. There are also lots of ways to personalise this ritual. Perhaps you’d like to light the candle yourselves as a couple, or you may invite a loved one to light it on your behalf; or maybe, you’d simply like me to light the candle before the ceremony begins. Some couples incorporate a few words from a family member or a friend, while others prefer to simply let the candle speak for itself. You might select a candle holder engraved with a meaningful quote, use a favourite scent to evoke a memory, or even place the candle alongside cherished photographs.
Sam Chipman Photography Venue: The Yorkshire Wedding Barn
I like to think that lighting a candle is also a good way to symbolise new beginnings and feelings of hope and happiness. Many of the couples I choose to work with will bring their own candle which they’ll then have as a keepsake of the day. And something they can light again at home or simply use to reflect on the beauty of the day.
Venue: Hazelgap Barn, Nottinghamshire
There are so many ways to honour deceased family members on your wedding day. I love to see my couples getting creative. I always offer complete freedom of expression when it comes to remembering loved ones.
Non-Traditional Wedding Ceremonies-Yorkshire
Venue: Lost and Found Club, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Photographer: Ollie Glover-Nota
I’m an independent wedding celebrant based between Leeds and Bradford, West Yorkshire. I’m qualified, fully insured and a member of the Association of Independent Celebrants. My ceremonies are fully inclusive.
I travel across Yorkshire and beyond, telling love stories. Because, ultimately that’s what it’s all about: celebrating your journey together, your shared history, and the people who’ve supported you along the way.
If you’d like to learn more about remembrance candles or other meaningful touches we can incorporate into your wedding day, feel free to get in touch. I’d be honoured to help craft a ceremony that tells your story in the most heartfelt and unforgettable way.
I offer all couples the opportunity to chat on a zoom call with me. There’s no obligation but lots of opportunity. I love to chat about weddings so let’s take a deep dive into your love story and all the things that matter to you on your wedding day.
I can’t wait to hear from you.
Michelle x
“Michelle was more than just our celebrant, she became our friend & such an important part of the lead up to our wedding and the ceremony itself. She is kind hearted, warm, patient and truly enjoys what she does.
Everybody at our wedding complimented Michelle’s story telling and how she managed to bring our story to life. Thank you Michelle for everything & I would recommend you always.”
