By Amanda Parker
Once my dad stopped watching the same scene from “Father of the Bride” (our favorite movie) over and over and over, he got out the pen and paper and started writing down what he thought a wedding would cost. This is what my mom and I found on that paper:
Wedding Costs
Amanda’s wedding gown…$5,000
Patty’s mother of the bride dress…$5,000
Flowers…$500
Photographer…$500
Food…$50/person
Invitations…$200
Whoa — $5,000 for my dress and $5,000 for my mom’s? New York City, here we come! I guess he was feeling extremely generous that day. Once he realized that neither my dress nor my mom’s was going to be $5,000, there was a sigh of relief…but then we had to hit him with reality. Flowers, photographer, food and invitations cost a little bit more than what he thought (enter the jaw drop).
Being a father of the bride is difficult. For one thing, you better hope they don’t get carpel tunnel from signing contracts, checks, etc., but number two: What say or input do they really get to have? My mom and I would come home and say, “We found our florist!” His response would be, “How much?” While most fathers probably don’t get a lot of say in their daughter’s wedding, my dad has come up with some pretty unique outrageous ideas. For example, renting Sprague Mansion in Cranston for the bridal party to get ready (WHAATT?). Or, even better, instead of having a memory table, he suggested hanging pictures of family members who have passed from the ceiling of the Biltmore with smoke, so it’s like they’re looking down on us (this is a wedding dad, not a Liberace event). While we all laugh at these ideas, he’s also come up with some pretty great ones (way to go dad!).
It’s tough for a father of the bride to go through all of these events. You are — and always will be — his little girl (especially if you’re an only child like me). All he really wants is to feel included, so include him as much as you can. Even if he comes up with some pretty crazy ideas, let him down gently. Walking you down that aisle will be emotional, but I know it will be one of my dad’s proudest moments. So, let’s allow our dads to enjoy the buildup to that day. Trust me, it will be worth it.