Weddingbee Blog

As we all know, Mr. Cardy and I aren’t having the most traditional wedding ever. We’re wearing Converse, skipping Canon in D, writing our own vows, and there will be no bouquet or garter toss in sight.

But. There is one part of the ceremony that we will absolutely keep traditional, no matter what. My father is walking me down the aisle—giving me away, if you will.

(Source) I can’t wait to have photos like this one!

Every time I imagine my wedding day, I picture myself standing outside the ceremony room, nerves going crazy, and trying to calm myself down. Then I picture my dad coming up, linking arms with me, and giving me a reassuring smile with tears in his eyes. And then we begin our walk. I can’t picture it any other way, and I literally get teary-eyed just thinking about it.

I know this is a touchy subject with a lot of people -

so many women now have lived without the support of their parents for years, and don’t want to be made to feel like a piece of property to be passed off from one man to another. I understand that completely. But that’s not how I feel about it.

You see, I’m a total daddy’s girl. Always have been. I can’t imagine my walk down the aisle without him by my side. My dad is a total tough guy (as evidenced by his insane workshop), but when it comes to his daughters, he’s a total softie. I know that even though he’s never expressed it, walking down the aisle with me is just as important to him as it is to me.

I don’t look at it as my dad “giving me away” in the sense that he’s passing off a piece of property. I’m his little girl—his youngest daughter. I’m the one that ran to him when I scraped my knees, and got him out of a ticket when I was little because I was bawling so hard and screaming at the policeman, “please don’t take my daddy to jail!” I’m the little girl who used to hide behind furniture when he got home from work and would jump out and scare him each and every day—and he pretended to be scared every time. I’m the little girl who used to (er… who does) call him Mr. Grumpy Gills when he’s  being a grump, just because I know it makes him smile.

I’m his daughter. His little girl.

And on that day, I’ll become someone’s wife. Sure, he’ll still be my dad, and I’ll still be his daughter, but he won’t be the man who takes care of me any more—Mr. Cardy will. No, I’m not a piece of property, but my dad is giving me away. He’s taking the little girl that he raised and passing her over to her new husband. He’s letting go of the child that I was and recognizing the woman I’ve become.

It’s a truly special and utterly important moment for me, and I think it will be one of my favorite parts of the day. I feel so blessed to have a dad that I love and cherish, when so many people don’t have a good relationship with their father. So yes, my dad is giving me away. And I’m insanely proud to say it.

Did you or will you have anyone “give you away”?