For anyone getting married to the love of their life, the loss of a parent ahead of the big day feels like an unbearable weight. The absence of a beloved parent for one of the biggest days of a couple’s life together is an unfillable void.
However, one couple in the Bay Area countered a tragic loss by incorporating a meaningful location. According to the site Offbeat Bride, Nicole and Santiago chose to wed where Nicole’s mother’s ashes were scattered in the sea. The couple chartered the USS Potomac and the captain sailed the two along with their party near Angel Island. The USS Potomac, a.k.a. The “Floating White House,” itself is filled with history. The yacht was the property of Franklin D. Roosevelt until his death in 1945.
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Nicole and Santiago’s ceremony was held on the top deck of the boat, afterwards guest had the opportunity to enjoy cocktails and nosh on hors d'oeuvres, as a brass band played on in the background. A classy shindig indeed.
Deciding how to honor a deceased loved one in during a celebratory event is not easy. In an essay published on Refinery29 last year, one bride avoided getting married for two decades, after losing her mother to breast cancer when she was 10 years old.
“I used to pore over my mother’s wedding photos, mainly because I loved looking at her in them, but also with the hope of finding some answers,” said essayist Kris Crenwelge. “She was 20, looked like a young Mary Tyler Moore, and had the biggest smile ever. If I ever exude that much happiness, maybe I’m afraid I’ll die, too. Or perhaps I’m simply not worthy of experiencing such a moment.”
We all have to deal with loss in our own way. Kudos to Crenwelge and the couple above for finding a way to handle a devastating loss while celebrating a new union.