In some situations, there is the sadness of an absent father, so a bride might choose her mother, a grandfather or grandmother, an uncle or aunt, a brother or sister, her own son or daughter, or any combination of people to walk her up the aisle.
If you do not have your father to walk you down the aisle, you still have many options. You can have another family member walk you down the aisle, like your mom, brother, grandpa, etc. Or you can have another person who was a father figure in you life growing up walk you down the aisle.
There's no rule that says you have to walk in with your father. If you're closer with your mother or another relative, you can, by all means, walk down the aisle with them instead! Another alternative is if you don't want to leave your mother out while walking down the aisle with your father, you can take them both.
Can brides actually walk down the aisle alone? Absolutely! It is actually an old tradition that the father is passing his daughter to her husband to take care of and cherish.
“Well, the tradition comes from an era where women were the property of men,” she says. “Fathers walking their daughter down the aisle and giving their daughter, the bride, away represented a transfer of ownership from her father to her new husband.”
Traditionally, the father of the bride is financially responsible for the wedding. Nowadays, that's not always the case, and that's okay. Sometimes the bride and groom will contribute, as well the parents of the groom. Even if you're not paying for the wedding, offer to help deliver payments to the vendors.
Your mother and father.
In many cultures, it's traditional to have both the mother and father walk their daughter down the aisle. Some brides may find this more suitable rather than choosing just one parent to do the honor. If you prefer to be escorted by both your mom and dad, Erb says go for it!
Put succinctly, tradition states that the father of the bride is responsible for paying for the wedding.
From walking down the aisle first to last, the traditional order is: Mother of Bride, Mother of Groom, Grandparents of Bride, Grandparents of Groom, Groom, Officiant, the Wedding Party, Maid of Honor and Best Man, Ring Bearer, Flower Girl and lastly the Bride and her Father.
The Groom: The groom proceeds to walk down the aisle accompanied by their parents, with his father on the left and his mother on the right. The Bridesmaids: The bridesmaids then proceed in pairs, starting with those standing farthest from the bride. The Maid or Matron of Honor: The bride's right-hand woman walks alone.
Each group of bridesmaids and groomsmen walk in pairs of two unless you have an odd number; then someone can walk alone. The maid of honor walks alone since the best man is already at the altar. Both the ring bearer and flower girl walk alone, and in that order. Optionally, they can walk together if you prefer.
The mother of the bride is traditionally escorted by her son if she has one. Otherwise, any close male relative, the best man, or a groomsman walks with the mother of the bride during the procession.
A regular tradition in Jewish ceremonies, many couples in other cultures and denominations are opting to have both of the bride's parents escort her down the aisle. It's seen as a gesture of respect, honoring the parents who had a hand in raising her and guiding her through her life to this next step.
Mother of the bride
The mother of the bride is the last person seated before the officiant, groom and best man take their places at the altar. She can walk alone or be escorted by her son, son-in-law or another relative.
5 minutes prior to ceremony: The groom's mother is escorted to her seat by the head usher, a son, or the groom. The groom's father follows and sits next to her. The wedding processional follows. Read more about the wedding processional order here.
Dads are often looking for a gift to bestow upon their beautiful daughters before they take the walk down the aisle. Often, fathers get a little special time with the bride before the ceremony begins, which is the perfect time to gift something special to their daughters.
Traditionally, the bride's family pays for the wedding, but that custom is rapidly changing. Couples are increasingly choosing to handle at least half of the wedding expenses on their own. Early planning and a written budget can help avoid miscommunication when deciding who pays for what.
Its up to you lovely! But generally the bride gets ready with her bridesmaids and mother.
While in some families and cultures, the parents do give a tangible gift to the bridal couple, other families and cultures feel the wedding itself is enough. This means it is completely your choice.
The Bride travels to the ceremony accompanied by her Father or the person who is giving her away in one car. Most couples go for a second car that will carry the Brides Mother and the Bridesmaids. The Groom will arrive with his Best Man or Ushers, not necessarily in a wedding car.
The parents of the bride always sit in the first pew or row on the left, facing where the ceremony will be held; the groom's parents sit in the first row on the right.
The wedding party members may walk down the aisle individually or in pairs. They will take their places on either side of the altar, starting with the farthest away from the couple. The lead attendants (or best people) would walk last and stand closest to the couple at the altar.
For as long as weddings have been celebrated, it has been customary for someone to give the bride “away” to her groom. Usually, this part of the ceremony is carried out by a father figure or male family member that has played an important role in the bride's life.