Having grandparents there to share your wedding day is extra special. Many brides and grooms don’t have that chance to include their extended family in their big day. However, one pair of newlyweds, Tanner and Lyndsey, was lucky enough to have four members of their grand-family not only present but a part of the ceremony itself.
When the couple planned their 2019 wedding, Tanner and Lyndsey aimed for a September ceremony. They wanted to include their grandparents on the momentous day, but not just as another face in the pews. The two had been to many weddings before and rarely saw any grandparents in attendance. For their wedding, it would be different. Especially given all four of their paternal and maternal grandparents were still living.
While looking through bridal ideas, the bride saw how another pair had included the bride’s grandparents on her wedding day. It was the perfect inspiration for Lyndsey. The bridge then asked all four lovely ladies if they would like to be part of her bridal party as flower girls. They were, of course, stunned. This was a job usually reserved for the smallest cousins and youngest family members, who can only be wrangled into shyly, haphazardly wandering down the aisle while basically spilling a basket of flowers. A bit of a mess, but also sort of a tradition. Could Grandma fill those tiny shoes? All four immediately said yes.
The resulting image perfectly captures the joy of both generations and the love they have for one another, especially on such a special occasion.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video 🙂
Natalie Caho, the wedding photographer, was able to capture the extra memorable moment when the special ladies started walking down the aisle in matching powder blue dresses with customized white handbags. The bags were inscribed appropriately with “here comes the bride,” and held the petals each flower girl was to sprinkle along the aisle. During the ceremony, Caho expertly snapped pictures of each woman joyously flinging the white flowers amidst the wedding guests, who looked on lovingly.
On her decision to include and honor this small parade of matriarchs from her and her husband’s family, the bride-to-be simply said, “We don’t have any young kids in our family, and honestly I thought my spunky grandmothers would be even cuter, and it definitely was. They all mean the world to me, and I was just happy to share my day with them.”
Usually, the gig is reserved for the tiniest of toddlers from the extended family. Typically, weddings include a token three-year-old in suspenders and a suit jacket who has to be coaxed toward the altar with fruit snacks and Goldfish. One flower girl, in fact, the eldest in the bunch, Kathleen Brown, needed no such encouragement. With her walker decked out in florals and decorated for the special day, she strode down the aisle entirely undeterred by age. In awe of her great-grandmother, the bride said, “This lady is the glue to our family and is never afraid to set us straight. I am so blessed to have gotten to know and love my great-grandmother.”
Posting the pics to social media, she wrote in the caption, “I’ve seen a lot of cute flower girls in my day…. but these four gals take the cake.” The lineup included seventy-year-old paternal grandmother Joyce, seventy-two-year-old maternal grandmother Betty, seventy-six-year-old paternal grandmother Wanda, and ninety-year-old maternal great-grandmother Kathleen.
The internet was immediately smitten with the five women. Viewers watched as they tossed their flowers gleefully and headed down the aisle in style. Everyone was completely delighted with their performance, including the bride and groom, who beamed at their family. Clearly, they’d made the right decision in incorporating the women. There’s no doubt that this was a special moment that everyone in attendance will remember for a very long time.
Especially the internet. Caho’s photos quickly went viral, with everyone sharing the way she expertly captured the youthful, glowing flower girls. Her album included each grandmother with the bride, linking arms and looking adoringly at their family.
Caho posted an update after the story went viral, writing, “Today my inbox was flooded with press I never dreamed of speaking with but they caught wind of the cuteness from @lyndseygrantraby’s wedding involving FOUR of her grandmothers as flower girls.” She continued, telling any brides-to-be to take risks with their weddings. She wrote, “If you’re on the fence about having something outside the ordinary at your wedding just do it! Especially if it means something as sweet as this did to you and your family.” Clearly, Lyndsay and Tanner took this exact advice in inviting their grandmothers to share in their special day.
What’s something unusual you’ve seen at a wedding? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family, and fellow newlyweds!