Some pieces of jewellery carry more than their meaning. They carry the people we wish could have been there.

When Nicola married Jonny earlier this summer, she wanted a way to keep two very special people close on her wedding day — two people who couldn't be there in person, but who were held in every part of it. This is her story, shared with her kind permission, and it is one of the most moving commissions I have had the privilege to make.

Two people, held close

Nicola chose forget me nots in memory of her Papa Trevor, and of Jonny's Granny Joan.

Her Papa had Alzheimer's. From the second time Jonny met him, he kept asking when the wedding was — never quite able to remember that the two of them had only just got together. “I never imagined getting married without my Papa there,” Nicola told me. “So this was my way of having him with me.”

Jonny wanted forget me nots for his Granny Joan too. As her dementia worsened, she kept telling him he needed to find a good nurse to marry. She had met Nicola, and somewhere she knew she was a nurse — she just couldn't always hold onto the memory. There is something so tender in that. Two people who, even as their memories slipped away, still carried the love of this couple with them.

Worn by the whole wedding party

The forget me nots were worn all through the day, in their memory. And Nicola didn't stop with her own.

She gifted forget me not jewellery to her mum, her mum-in-law, her granny, and each of her bridesmaids — a forget me not necklace with their name engraved on the back, paired with matching forget me not drop earrings. Nicola wore hers too: the necklace and earrings in memory of Papa Trevor and Granny Joan, and alongside them, a bracelet stack carrying Jonny's birth flower — a little of him held close to her as well.

But that is the beautiful thing about a meaningful piece — it has a way of gathering people in.

Each necklace was made by hand, here at the bench, in sterling silver or gold filled, and engraved with care so that every single one belonged to the person who wore it. They were not the headline of the day — Nicola and Jonny were, as they should be. The jewellery was simply one of the threads woven through it, carrying the people who mattered.

I am so grateful to Nicola for letting me share her story, and for trusting me to be a small part of such an important day. Weddings are full of flowers, but these are the ones that will still be worn years from now — long after the bouquets have faded — each time she wants Papa Trevor near.

Carrying your own story

If there is someone you wish could be with you on a special day — a wedding, a milestone, a moment you wish they could see — a forget me not is a gentle way to keep them close.

Every piece in the Forget Me Not Collection is made by hand and can be personalised and engraved to hold your own story, just as Nicola's held hers. Whether for yourself, for your mum, or for a whole wedding party, it is a way of saying the thing that matters most — I am still carrying you with me.

You'll find the Forget Me Not Collection at rebeccamayjewellery.com. And if you'd like to talk through something for a day of your own, I would love to help.

With love, Debbie x

Congratulations to Nicola and Jonny — with every happiness for the years ahead.