A couple from the USA have flouted convention by asking their grandparents to be flower girls at their recent wedding.
At British weddings, a flower girl or girls are normally children – and often younger ones at that. The American couple, who are from Tennessee, broke that tradition by choosing to appoint three of their grandmothers instead, as well as one great-grandmother.
The bride’s great-grandmother, aged 90, was the eldest of the four mature flower girls, while the youngest was 70. The wedding photographer shared a picture on Instagram, showing the four elderly ladies dressed in light blue lace dresses with matching jackets.
In the image posted to social media, not one of the four ladies was holding flowers. Instead, they held small bags emblazoned with “Here comes the bride”, each adorned instead with a small white bow.
The bride had bridesmaids as well as her flower girls, but said that the older ladies were “more excited” for the big day. As she explained to the Huffington Post, the newlywed knew she would like her grandmothers to play a major part in her wedding from the moment she got engaged.
Two of the mature flower girls were from the bride’s side of the family, but the groom was also represented by his grandmother, who at 70 was the youngest of the quartet.
Presumably the flower girls came as a surprise to many of the wedding guests, who in all likelihood did not expect to see four mature ladies playing the role when they received their wedding invitation cards.