According to wedding tradition, it’s usually the father of the bride who gives his daughter away on her wedding day. But with traditions going to the wind, more same-sex couples, and couples in general choosing to make their wedding day their own, there are more ways than one to have your parents involved in your wedding day.
If you have a good relationship with your parents, step-parents or in-laws, it can be a nice touch to include them in the wedding day. Not only will it be a special memory of your day that you can reflect on, but it will also likely be a special moment for them to remember and treasure.
There are plenty of ways to mix up traditions when it comes to involving your parents in your wedding day.
Walking a bride down the aisle
This is something we’re seeing a lot more of as a trend, and something that celebrants are working into more and more weddings.
With the days of ‘giving the bride away’ as a possession gone, after the father traditionally walks his daughter down the aisle, a cute addition is to have both parents standing together to give their blessing and share that special moment.
If you want both parents to be even more involved, you can also have them walk you down the aisle together.
Giving grooms away
Of course, it’s not just the bride’s parents who should be involved in the day.
Some marriage celebrants have found that the groom’s mother can get upset because she feels like her son isn’t treated as important during the wedding. Rather than a wedding being about a couple, it can often be able the bride.
If you want to make sure that both sides of your parents are involved think about having the groom’s parents walk him down the aisle. In these instances, the groom can be walked down by his parents before waiting at the altar for his bride, or fellow groom, to come down.
Same-sex couples meeting at the altar
For many same-sex couples, the aisle moment is often a bit different. Whether two grooms are walking down the aisle, two brides, or one person is waiting at the altar, having your parents involved is just as, if not more, important.
At many same-sex weddings, there are two aisles for each member of a couple to walk from separate sides with their parents before meeting in the middle or at the altar. Alternatively, a couple can choose to walk down the aisle together, alone or with their parents, before their parents stand up and give them their blessing and support in front of all their guests.
Parents giving their blessing of the couple together
Having your parents involved in your wedding day doesn’t have to be reserved to having them walk you down the aisle. One thing celebrants are advising now is to add a personal moment where the parents from each side give their blessing and support to the couple after they’ve come down the aisle.
That way you can hear the love and blessing from your parents. Make sure you have lots of tissues on hand!
We love the idea of each parent accepting the future member of their family during the ceremony for everyone to see. It’s a really sweet moment that goes that bit further than giving your child away to someone.
It can also be tailored for stepparents, children, grandparents or anyone else who is particularly special to the couple.
And that’s what we love about the ways wedding traditions are changing. They are reflective of every couple. So here’s to making your perfect ceremony even more intimate, personal and memorable.
