Butterflies Released to Honor Groom’s Late Sister Stay for Entire Wedding

Butterflies are sometimes released at weddings and funerals to remember loved ones who have passed. Wedding photographer Jessica Manns recently experienced and documented a particularly memorable butterfly release memorial.

The groom of the wedding at Fox Hill Farm in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, had tragically lost his sister a few years ago in a car accident over the Christmas holidays, and his parents released monarch butterflies during the ceremony to honor her life and memory.

“There’s a common belief that our loved ones visit us sometimes as butterflies,” Manns writes. “As they released the butterflies, they wouldn’t fly off.”

Mann’s photos show how the butterflies clung to the family (literally) throughout the entire wedding ceremony and even into the reception.

Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.

“This same butterfly on his finger stayed there the entire ceremony and then flew onto the bride’s bouquet after the recessional,” Manns says. “Lydia, the bride, even walked down the aisle with two on her dress.

Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.

“Then a few hours later during the speeches, another butterfly somehow got inside the barn and landed on Lydia’s neck and remained there for all the speeches. Unreal.”

Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.
Photo by Jessica Manns of Jessica Manns Photography.

“This is probably the most emotional thing I’ve witnessed at a wedding,” Manns says.

You can find more of Manns’ work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.


Image credits: Photographs by Jessica Manns and used with permission

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