Inspired by Her
This week we celebrate our queens. Our mums; the incredibly strong matriarchs of our families who often hold it all together. Whether they’re the women who birthed us; the women who helped raise us; the women we laugh with when times are great or turn to when times are tough; or the women who step in when needed.
In one way or another, we’ve all been encouraged by these women. Inspired by them; protected by them; and loved fiercely by them.
We asked some of our beautiful clients about the best pieces of advice their mums and mother figures gave them in the lead-up to their weddings and how they honoured their mums on their big day. We hope these pearls of wisdom from these mamas help you in your journey to “I do” and beyond…
“What piece of advice did your Mother give you that proved important to you in the lead-up to your wedding?”
Emma
For me, it wasn’t little pieces of advice that really stuck with me. It’s what Mum was, and still is to me, every single day of my life. What she gave me each day in time, friendship, love, and wisdom in the lead-up to my wedding was invaluable. I vividly remember looking over at her glassy-eyed, smiling face, after we were pronounced husband and wife, knowing she could feel that overwhelming sense of happiness, love, and relief that I was feeling. It just makes those moments so much richer, because you know they’re shared with someone who only wants that for you too. I can only hope for the same bond with my own children. If I give them what she gave me, I think I’ll be on the right track!
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
Mum walked me down the aisle with my dad, which was important for me. Earlier that morning, on the way to the ceremony, we stopped by my Nonna’s nursing home so she could see me in my dress. She was another incredibly special mother figure in my life, another woman who gave me the world. We embraced and couldn’t stop crying.
Bride: Emma Mittiga @_fleurduvent
Dianuh
“Years from now, you won't remember what type of linens you had, what shoes you wore, or even where you got married. You will think back on this day and remember the beautiful moments you were fully present for. You've already planned out all the little details, so on the day, let all that go and allow yourself to just enjoy it all!”
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
It's a Korean tradition to honour your parents during the ceremony. This typically happens just before exchanging your vows, which I think is so sweet because you are honouring the family you grew up with just before forming a new one with your soon-to-be spouse! During this time, the bride and groom will approach each set of parents and give them a little bow and hug. It's a tear-jerking moment because that's the last hug you'll be giving the parents as a single person! We also give a bouquet of flowers to the mothers (and mother figures) in our lives. For us, that was both of our mums and grandmas.
Bride: Dianuh (Aritst) @dianuhaerin
Morgan
From the very beginning, my mum told me she would be involved in the wedding planning as much or as little as I wanted. I really appreciated that she was always there when I needed her but also gave me and my maid of honour space to make decisions on our own. She kept reminding us that this was our day, which was really important to me.
How did you honour or celebrate your
Mum on your big day?
My mum and dad walked me down the aisle which was really important to me as I wanted them both to be a part of that moment. Mum was also just as much a part of my bridal party as my bridesmaids and I spent the morning getting ready with her by my side which was really special.
Image Credit: Katelyn Slyer Photos
Christina
“Go with the flow and find happiness wherever you are.”
When COVID-19 hit, my husband and I decided to put our big fat Greek and Italian wedding plans on hold and pivot to organizing what we now call our “little wedding” - a civil ceremony in my parent’s backyard with just 20 people.
At first, the pivot was incredibly hard for me emotionally, because it was so different to the 300-person wedding we had been planning for months. However, my mum was amazing at reassuring me the day would be perfect, and she worked so hard to make the leadup and the day itself, magical. She reminded me how lucky I was to be marrying my soulmate and to cherish the day for what it was.
When we finally turned our attention to our “big wedding”, it was another bumpy ride, having to postpone two more times, but Mum was incredible at supporting me through the ups and downs and reminding us that we deserved our big day exactly as we had planned it - and that it would happen sooner or later!
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
My mum helped dress me on both of my wedding days,
and those quiet moments before the craziness started were so special. Seeing the look on her face when I had both bridal moments is something I will never forget -
pride, awe and pure love.
Image Credit: Mark Jay Photography
Bride: Christina @lamisceladesigns
Samantha
“Do whatever you and Matt want to do and whatever makes you happy.”
When you plan a wedding there are so many voices that can cloud your own judgment and vision of your wedding day, down to who should be invited and which family should sit together and apart on the seating chart. When those moments became more overwhelming than others, my mum would simply say, “do whatever you want and the others can work it out for themselves, it’s your day” and it was a much-needed reminder.
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
I celebrated my mum’s mum, who is someone I never got the chance to meet as she passed away when my mum was very young. I had her photo around my bridal bouquet and intentionally turned my bouquet so it would face the camera
Image Credit: Meka Weddings
Anisha
I was lucky enough to be raised by my mother and Nani (maternal grandmother) and both hold such special places in my life. Sadly my Nani passed away the year before my wedding so to have her with me throughout the day, I wore a pin on my saree of her. She was such a calm person and having a piece of her with me reminded me to be calm as well.
My mum is such an organised and logical person, in the madness of re-planning a wedding multiple times during covid, she told me that however the wedding day was meant to be will be, and at the end of the day my husband and I would be married and that’s all that really mattered. And she was right (surprise surprise), our wedding day was more than we could have hoped for, and after so many cancellations, we’re married and happy- which is all that really matters!
How did you honour or celebrate your Mum,
or mother figure on your big day?
On my wedding day, I was lucky enough to wear heirloom jewellery from remarkable people in my life- the most special piece being my maang tikka (headpiece) which was originally worn by my Nani (maternal grandmother) 60+ years before I did. It was then worn by my aunt, my mum for their weddings and then myself. Last year my sister also wore the same maang tikka for her wedding too! I also wore a pin on my saree on my beautiful Nani to have her with me throughout the day
Stephanie
We asked: What piece of advice did your mother give you that proved important to you?
Mum was just very supportive throughout the whole planning process and made sure I kept calm when covid made things stressful. She really wanted to make sure that we were making decisions that made us happy at the end of the day and weren’t doing things to make other people happy.
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
We wanted to make sure both of our Mums were included and honoured on our wedding day. We had our Mums sign our marriage certificate as witnesses. I had both Mum and Dad walk me down the aisle, and Josh had a mother/son dance at our reception.
Image Credit: Sonja Cenic Weddings
Anne-marie
“Prioritise what matters most to you and your husband.”
She reminded me that it’s easy to get caught up in trying to please everyone, but ultimately, the day is about us and our commitment to each other. This advice helped me stay focused on what was truly important, what I really wanted the day to be like, and not get distracted by others’ opinions or expectations. It allowed me to make decisions that reflected our values and personalities, which made our wedding day even more special and memorable.
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
I wanted to honour my mother in a special way that truly reflected our relationship and the love and support she has given me throughout my life.
Getting her to walk down the aisle with my father and I was a given, but I wanted to take it a step further. So, I asked my mother to present me with my husband’s wedding ring during the ceremony. Seeing her walk towards me with the ring in her hand was a moment I will always cherish. My mother is a remarkable woman, and I am so blessed to have her in my life. Honouring her on my wedding day was a way for me to show her how much she means to me and how much I appreciate everything she has done for me.
Image Credit: Something Wild Weddings
Ally
From the very beginning, during the uncertainty of international border closures (due to Covid19), Mum was always positive and supportive of our dream wedding.
Reassuring me that someday it will come true. She would never pose her opinion or wants onto how we planned our wedding day, instead, she always reminded us to do what we wanted and what would make us happy, as it’s our day.
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
Whilst there was no specific way I honoured my mum, we did share a very special moment when she helped me put my dress on, the morning of my wedding. We stood there facing the mirror completely present in the moment.
Also during our reception speeches, everyone had such moving and meaningful words to thank and show appreciation for my mum and her dedication to raising me into the person I am today.
Katherine
She didn’t give me specific advice per se, but Mum has always wanted me to be with someone who I can be myself with. In fact, my maid of honour captured it perfectly with a quote she shared in her speech…
“Loving someone means you help them fall more in love with themselves, not more in love you” (Jay Shetty).
That is truly what my mum has always wanted for me.
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
I wore my grandmother’s wedding ring as my
‘something old and borrowed’. Unfortunately, I never had
the opportunity to meet her but I knew that would
mean a lot to my mum. So much so, she teared up at
the kitchen table the night I asked her if I could wear it.
My husband and I also asked both of our mums to be witnesses on our marriage certificate. We love the
traditions involved with weddings but one thing they miss
is highlighting the integral role our mums play in bringing
us to this point. It was really important to both of us
to have them included in the formalities of the day.
Image Credit: Sarah Clements Photography
Amy
“When you have an idea, plant a seed, and let him do the rest of the work.”
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
My mum walked me down the aisle alongside my dad,
and my grandmother was our ring bearer.
There were many tears when this was announced as everyone knows how special my Gran is to me. Every time Gran was mentioned in the ceremony or the speeches, the crowd either cheered or cried because it was so special.
Photo Credit: The Paper Fox
Sarah
In the lead-up to my wedding, my mother
instilled in me to just always be myself.
How did you honour or celebrate
your Mum on your big day?
My mother walked me down the aisle. For me it was definitely an honour that I had such an amazing role model and best friend to hand me over to the man of my dreams.
Photo Credit: T-One Image
A big thank you to all of our beautiful Brides who kindly shared their stories with us, and sending so much love to all the incredible Mothers and motherly figures out there. They deserve every bit of credit for the endless support and love they continue to show, through all big and small moments of our lives.
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