A bride incorporated her father’s ashes into her nails so he could be with her on her wedding day.
Charlotte Walton, from Stoke-On-Trent, lost her father Mick in April, just months before she was due to marry fiancé Nick in August.
The beloved father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which spread to his lymph nodes and bones.
Watch how Charlotte’s nails were created here:
The 26-year-old had always dreamed of having her dad walk her down the aisle and she was devastated to know he couldn’t be there. Her cousin, Kirsty, knew how much Charlotte wanted Mick to be with her and came up with the idea of having the father’s ashes ‘attached’ to the bride’s wedding day nails.
Charlotte described Kirsty as ‘the queen of nails’ and recalled how she thought the idea was ‘amazing’ and ‘really sweet’.
Speaking of her relationship with her father, the 26-year-old said:
I was always a huge daddy’s girl, we all were, whenever we asked for anything he would say no first but then he would feel bad and would do it five minutes later.
He was diagnosed with cancer which was incurable, at that point we knew we had to move quick so that he could be there to watch me marry Nick.
I was heartbroken when he lost his battle because I knew how much he wanted to see us marry, I wanted him to be there but it wasn’t meant to be.
Charlotte described how having her father’s ashes incorporated into her acrylic nails made her feel like Mick was holding her hand, adding ‘I knew it wasn’t the same as him really being there, but it was as close as we could get.’
She continued:
It was a unique thing to do but I loved it, I felt like he was able to walk me down the aisle, which I knew was something he really wanted to do.
Kristy shared a video showing how she created the nails, explaining she went through the ashes to find ‘tiny bits of bone fragment’ she could use for the acrylics.
The unique manicure was a big hit at the wedding, with Charlotte describing her big day as ‘incredible’.
She said:
I loved having [Mick] there with me even if it was just in spirit, but with his ashes attached to me as I walked to wed my husband it felt like the next best thing.
The wedding was incredible, and everyone loved the nails.
It meant everything to have him there in my own special way, I married Nick, who I have two children with and I know Dad will always be watching over us.
Some of Charlotte’s guests asked the bride what she planned to do with the nails after they fell off but rather than discarding them the 26-year-old decided to frame the acrylics and display them at home.
It’s lovely the bride found a way to have her father with her on her special day.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.