Her mom was with the SVU star in spirit that day.

Mariska Hargitay’s mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, died in 1967 when the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star was only three years old. However in 2004, Hargitay made sure her mom was with her when she tied the knot with Peter Hermann in a gorgeous fairytale wedding!

Hargitay honored her late mother via a sweet keepsake that ensured her loved ones were by her side throughout her special day. As her father, Mickey Hargitay, walked her down the aisle, the SVU star carried a locket containing photos of her grandmother and mother, which is such a heartwarming “something old” a bride could have.

A gorgeous black-and-white photo of the locket can be seen in this 2015 InStyle feature on Hargitay’s wedding, and fans can check out some genuinely breathtaking pictures from the ceremony and reception. Christopher Meloni even attended the nuptials, and the outlet included a sweet photo of the two stars in the feature!

The locket Hargitay carried was simple and refined, and we’re sure she treasured it just as much as she did her dress and new husband that day.

Over two decades later, Hargitay is still focused on honoring her mother like only she can. A few weeks ago, the SVU icon announced she would make her feature directorial debut in My Mom Jayne, a documentary about the life and times of her famous mom — get all the details of the announcement here!

Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann reflect on their 20-plus years of marriage

The couple has been inseparable ever since that wonderful day in 2004. So, what’s their secret? According to Hermann and Hargitay, laughter is the key to their longevity!

“I never thought I would have this much laughter in my life,” Hermann told PEOPLE in 2019. “Not just actual laughter. But also the way that Mariska is just the embodiment of laughter — of joy. It’s the way we find our way back to each other. It’s this fantastically, wonderfully ridiculous way that we can swing back and forth any number of times in any given day. But fundamentally we know we have the same destination. We know where we’re headed, and it’s good. And we know we’ll get there together.”

Years after they tied the knot, Hargitay still catches herself thinking, “I never thought it could be this good.”

“We got married and we knew that it was going to be good and I think we both knew… we found the right one,” she confessed in a separate 2019 PEOPLE interview. “I never thought it could be this good…That I waited and married the right one and it’s better than I thought it was. Because sometimes you take a snapshot and you go, ‘I can’t believe this is my life.’”