Groom and Mother in Law Dance

by Kathleen Morris
(Southeast Arkansas)

I am a wedding planner in SE Arkansas, and this particular issue has never come up before. The bride's mother has rheumatoid arthritis and is limited to a power chair or walking very short distances with a walker.

Obviously, she will not be able to dance with the groom at the reception, but we don't want her to be or feel left out. Do you have any suggestions for something special they can do together other than dancing? I thought of having him sing a special song to her, but he's shy and doesn't think he can do it. Any suggestions will be deeply appreciated.

Our Thoughts

This is a tough one, but hopefully here is an idea. We worked with a recent groom that had a similar situation. In lieu of a mother/son dance he created a tribute video to his mother as a surprise which was played during the time when their dance would have been.

We went to the videographer with pictures that included photos throughout childhood of both the mother's life and groom's life growing up, along with childhood video snips.

They took the materials and placed them to the music in which the groom would have danced with his mom to, and there was not a dry eye in the place.

Again, it was a surprise and the groom's mom was just so touched. It was a great way to honor their relationship.

While your situation is a little bit different, maybe you could suggest something like what we have described above. Good luck and let us know if this is the direction you choose to go and if it works out!

To Your Wedding!
Danielle & Stephen