A bride had her dad’s ashes glued into her acrylic nails so she could fulfil his promise of walking her down the aisle.
Charlotte Walton had hoped her father would be there to give her away when she married her partner Nick, 33, on August 30, 2019.
Tragically her father, Mick Barber, died of cancer in April, rendering the dream impossible.
With no substitute for having her dad there in person, the 26-year-old's cousin Kirsty had the idea to having Mick's ashes suspended in her acrylic nail.
Charlotte, a car dealer, said: “Kirsty is the queen of nails and I thought her idea was amazing.
“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 quickly 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 explained how it felt to have her dad close to hand.
“Having the ashes attached to my nails felt like he was holding my hand, I knew it wasn’t the same as him really being there, but it was as close as we could get," she said.
“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.
“I suppose the funny side of it was that people asked me what I would do with the nails once they fell off as if I was going to throw them away.
“I have of course kept them and now they’re framed with decorative crystals all around the frame in my home.
“I loved having him 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.”
The loss of Mick was also a big blow for Nick, who had bonded with his father-in-law to be.
Charlotte said: “My dad loved Nick, they played golf together most weekends and he had my dad’s blessing from day one.
“When we lost him, I didn’t know how I could still make sure he was walking with me before I said my vows until Kirsty said she could incorporate his ashes into my nails.
“I immediately thought it was a really sweet idea and wanted to go ahead with it.
“Kirsty is the queen of nail art, she has around a million followers on her Instagram so if anyone could do it, I knew that it would be her.
“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.”
Photos: The Little Paper Shop / Caters News