Getting married and planning a wedding brings so much excitement and happiness into your lives, both for you and for your parents. It does bring some stress too and this is often where Mums and Dads step in, help out and make your wedding day the celebration you dreamt of.
Weddings are a huge celebration for families and I have seen parents going to wonderful efforts (painting their houses, having gardens redesigned, repainting and decorating inside!) to make their son or daughter’s day simply unforgettable. Weddings can be so emotional for everybody involved and most definitely the parents!
Traditionally both sets of parents have responsibilities at the time of the wedding.
• The Father of the Bride “gives away” the bride on the day of her wedding (Of course, this depends on the family’s choices and circumstances)
• The Father of the Bride may have the pleasure in paying for some (or all) of the wedding. Nowadays couples often handle the costs themselves, with some help from both sets of parents.
• The Father of the Bride may give a speech at the wedding – congratulating the happy couple and welcoming the groom into the family.
• The Father of the Groom may also give a speech; again congratulating the couple and welcoming the bride into their family.
• The Bride’s mum may help her choose her wedding dress
• The Bride’s mum is a constant support, somebody to share ideas and worries with.
The level of involvement of your parents in your wedding preparations is entirely up to you (and them). I find that some parents are very involved – helping to source a venue with the couple, meeting the various wedding suppliers such as the photographer and the band. Sometimes a second opinion can be useful. Other couples do the majority of the planning without the involvement of their parents – and that is fine.
I think most young girls dream of walking down the aisle on their father’s arm to their future husband and spending afternoons wedding dress shopping with their Mums. Wedding traditions from year’s gone by evoke these dreams in us. Unfortunately this is not the reality for lots of couples. Circumstances, bereavements and life in general sometimes mean this is not possible. This is where you can lean on brothers, sisters, and your future in laws and friends for support.
More and more I see couples having photos of their parent’s and even grandparent’s weddings days at their own weddings. Simply display them at the drinks reception or somewhere at the ceremony where guests can see them. Guests will enjoy looking back at the photos and seeing the way the two families have expanded over the years and perhaps remember those that could not be there.
{Karen Buchanan is a regular blogger for Wedding Dates. She runs a wedding planning business called Weddings With Karen Buchanan. Connect with her on her Facebook page at Weddings With Karen Buchanan or chirp her over on Twitter. Her Twitter handle is @karenbuchanan3. Gift For A Parent on Etsy by Suzy Shoppe.}
