Charlotte Watson on her wedding day, wearing a manicure incorporating her father’s ashes (Picture: Cara Green)

When Charlotte Watson’s dad lost his life to cancer just four months before her wedding, she knew she wanted to honour him on the big day.

She decided to incorporate his ashes in her wedding day nails, in a meaningful manicure created by her cousin, Kirsty Meakin.

Charlotte, 26, met now-husband Nick back in 2007 doing street dance. After welcoming their first daughter, Ella, Nick proposed to Charlotte on a break in Carden Park in 2012, popping the question while walking by a huge lake with water fountains.

The couple, from Stoke-on-Trent, weren’t in much of a rush to get married.




But then, in 2017, Charlotte’s dad was told his prostate cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and bones. Charlotte and Nick booked their wedding for 30 August 2019.

Charlotte marrying Nick, with whom she shares two daughters (Picture: Cara Green)

Sadly, Charlotte’s dad didn’t make it until then, passing away just four months before the wedding.

‘In 2018 the cancer had spread even more into his spine and ribs,’ Charlotte tells Metro.co.uk. ‘At this point we had realised the cancer was incurable.

‘At the end of March 2019 my dad had to have his spine rebuilt as the cancer had broken down his [vertebrae]. After knowing what complications a spine operation could cause he still fought through.

‘Unfortunately my dad ended up having sepsis from the spinal operation and we lost him on 29 April.’

It was Charlotte’s cousin Kirsty, who’s a nail artist and YouTuber, who came up with the idea of using the ashes in her wedding manicure.

The ashes were encased within Charlotte’s nails (Picture: KIRSTYMEAKIN/Caters News)

Kirsty recorded the process of creating the nails, showing her followers how she and Charlotte went through her dad’s ashes to find elements that would work for the nails – both the fine, dust-like pieces and the ‘tiny bits of bone fragment’.

Kirsty created a French ombré manicure with the ashes encased in the tips and finished with gems.

The end result was pretty special.

The nails were finished with gems (Picture: @KIRSTYMEAKIN / Caters News)

‘I finally got my wish, which was for my dad to hold my hand and walk me down the aisle,’ says Charlotte. ‘That’s exactly how it felt.

‘The reaction we got was incredible, not just from family and friends but from thousands of people who watched the video and shared it.’

Charlotte also honoured her father on the day with a photo of him on her shoes (Picture: Cara Green)

Charlotte had a teddy bear made from her late father’s jumper and jeans (Picture: Charlotte Watson)

After the wedding, Kirsty glued the nails to a photo frame (Picture: Charlotte Watson)

Alongside her nails, Charlotte was able to honour her dad at the wedding with a photo of him placed on the back of her shoes, a pendant attached to her flowers, and a teddy made from one of his jumpers.

After the big day Kirsty removed the nails and glued them to a photo frame, so Charlotte could keep them safe forever.

Charlotte now hopes to use the remaining ashes to have jewellery made.

Do you have an amazing wedding story to share? Get in touch at MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk.



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