At Polish wedding receptions, a photo slideshow is sometimes presented before the official words of gratitude towards both sets of parents. I think it is a beautiful custom, especially if the slideshow has been well thought out. Below you will find some suggestions for a truly touching and thoughtful wedding slideshow.
Our wedding slideshow
Those of you who attended our wedding watched a typical wedding slideshow prepared by us. It comprised our childhood photos (in chronological order), as well as joint photos, starting from a camp which brought us together, until the last days before the wedding. In the background, we played songs that matched the photos. During my childhood photos, you could hear: ‘Bal moich lalek ‘ and ‘Dreams ‘ by The Cranberries, during my Husband’s photos: ‘Gummi Bears ‘ theme and ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ by R. Kelly, and during the presentation of our joint memories: ‘When a Man Loves a Woman ‘ by Percy Sledge. We entitled the slideshow: ‘Our Story’.
All guests watched the slideshow with great interest and rewarded us with a wild round of applause. Yet a year later I found out that we could have made our wedding slideshow even better. Why? Because we forgot to involve our parents in the slideshow, and it was supposed to be a part of their thank-you gift!
A wedding slideshow for parents
This occurred to me when I watched a wedding slideshow during a friend’s reception party. Already the first slide informed in big letters: ‘Mum, Dad, thank you for…’ I guess no one had any doubts who the slideshow was for.
What came next? The newlyweds found many family photos, ordered them thematically instead of chronologically, and added comments. One of the pictures showed them eating with their faces all dirty; others showed their siblings, flats, houses and family travels. The newlyweds put a lot of effort into thanking their parents for all kinds of things. Even though I knew them for only a year, and I didn’t know their families at all, watching their slideshow brought tears to my eyes.
Ideas for a funny and moving wedding slideshow for parents
Such a wedding slideshow may also be used on other occasions, such as your parents’ wedding anniversary or round birthday. Actually, you may do it any time you want to thank them for your upbringing! I have recently received a similar one on the Mother’s Day, and couldn’t hold back my tears 😉
In order to stimulate your creativity, I am going to give you some examples of things you may thank your parents for in the wedding slideshow. Use my ideas, and think of others yourself!
Dear Parents, thank you for:
– our siblings + a photo with you engaged in a pillow fight with your brother/sister,
– providing a roof over our head + a photo from a camp where you slept in tents,
– tasty meals + a photo in which you sulk about your food or, on the contrary, you massage your belly with pleasure,
– your patience + a photo of you walking all over your parents or are on your father’s shoulders, pulling his hair/moustache,
– family strolls + a photo of you dead tired or your father giving you a piggyback,
– showing us the world + a photo with a tourist attraction or your parent showing you a bug or an insect,
– wiping away our tears + a photo of you crying,
– your loving arms + a photo of you embraced by your parents,
– attending to our wounds + a photo of your leg in a cast or your shoulder with a plaster over a bruise,
– our first vehicle + a photo with a three-wheeled bicycle or a plastic toy car
Any other suggestions? Please, write them in the comments below! They might be of use to someone searching for ideas!
My advice:
– Photos illustrating each of the things you want to thank for may originate from both families or just one, interchangeably. You don’t have to force yourself – everyone will understand that both of you thank your parents for all of these things.
– It is better to place the words on slides displayed before photos than directly in the pictures. This way they are more visible, and the images don’t distract the attention from the words.
– If you don’t have any childhood photos, you may record your words of gratitude, but it will take you more time, and the bride- and groom-to-be usually have little time to spare before the Big Day 🙂
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