For my wedding, i dont want my dad to walk me down the aisle, how do i tell him?

Question

i want to walk down the aisle alone because i think having my dad walk me down is a sexist tradition, at least thats how i view it. its just not my thing, but my dad is very traditional and he was unhappy when i told him i was thinking of walking myself down. how do i explain my final decision?

Answer 1

Honestly, I would do this for your father.  Unless you have a horrible relationship & he was an awful father, I would allow him this position of honor.

My father walked me & when asked who gives this woman in marriage, he proudly responded, "Her mother & I do, with honor."  I was 28 yrs old, went to college at 17 & have supported myself for the last 10 years.  None of my guests for a minute deemed me any less independent for having participated in this tradition.  

Wearing a white dress isn't "s**y" either.  In fact it's the exact opposite of "s**y" it's virginal.  Do you plan to wear a white dress?  And have you saved yourself for your husband?

Answer 2

All you can do is sit down with him and explain what made you come to your final decision.

Tell him that you would still like to share a father/daughter dance - but you would like to walk down the aisle by yourself.

He might be a little upset at first - but he will get over it eventually. I wouldn't worry about it to much.

Answer 3

Tell him exactly what you've told us.  He already knows, so there's no need to explain much further.  Tell him he's very important to you, and perhaps you can find another big role for him in the wedding, like reciting a reading or poem that's meaningful to you both.  Congratulations.  :)

Answer 4

tell him it is your wedding, not his. If you want to get married on the roof of a building go ahead. On a helicopter sure. Even just going alone on the aisle will be fine. Your father should not be in charge of your life. And traditions get old after a while, do something new!

Answer 5

The "Im giving you my daughter''thing is so old

Just explain to him how you feel about this situation.

Answer 6

tell him how you feel. make him understand because im sure he will. explain to him that ur grateful for him being in your life but its your day and he should respect that and your decision.

P.S. good luck with your marriage and family!

Answer 7

Offer him a cute bridesmaid to accompany instead.

Answer 8

Personally, I feel that if you are close to your Dad and it upsets him, have him walk you down the aisle.  It will only cause hurt feelings.  However, if you have never been close to your Dad, then I would just tell him that you wanted a modern wedding, not a traditional one and walking yourself down the aisle follows that new method.

My Dad won't be walking me down the aisle.  We are not close and he's never been supportive of me.

Answer 9

Is it really that important to you that you are willing to hurt your dad's feelings?

I don't believe in the thought of being "given away" but I still wanted my dad to walk me down the aisle, if only because I know that he was happy to do it.

Answer 10

All you can do is sit down & explain how you feel. Tell him how much you love him but that this is something you want to do and feel very strongly about.

Answer 11

I can totally agree with not wanting to get caught up in tradition, but there are other traditional things you could cut out of your wedding instead of your dad walking you down the aisle. Here's why:

The father walking the daughter down the aisle is a very sweet, symbolic tradition that honors your parents. Your father is the one that loved you from the moment you came into the world, and he has provided for you your whole life up until finding your husband. When he walks you down the aisle, it is a very sweet way to represent him entrusting you from that moment on to your husband.

He's probably not as much hurt at your idea because it's nontraditional, as much as that's kind of a slap in the face to him. He loves you, and that was a hurtful gesture.

Go ahead and let him walk you down the aisle. It's a wonderful way to show him your gratitude for him providing for you as his daughter.

Answer 12

Maybe try and include him in other ways.  For example ask him to lead grace at the reception- or maybe give a special toast at the dinner.