Anyone who's ever planned a wedding knows how hard it can be to figure out all the details. This is especially true when it comes to the wedding ceremony. For some people, deciding who will walk them down the aisle can be an extremely tough decision to make. And while this has traditionally been the responsibility of a bride's father, it's not uncommon for moms to do it too. Hearing the stories of people whose moms walked them down the aisle makes it clear that there's nothing wrong with forgoing tradition and doing this your own way, no matter the reason.
Being walked down the aisle can be a profoundly special moment that holds a lot of significance. However, the roots of the tradition were far more practical than sentimental. “This custom stems from the days of arranged marriages, when a father’s looming presence was a good way to prevent the groom from backing out,” wedding historian Susan Waggoner told Brides.com. Needless to say, we've come a long way from the olden days when a bride might have needed her dad to intimidate her fiancé into following through with the wedding. Nowadays, being walked down the aisle serves as a metaphor for transitioning into a new phase of life. Here's why eight Redditors had their moms do the deed, and it will definitely make you tear up. Brace yourself.
My Mom did. She's the one who had to be both Mother and Father so she should get some of the accolades too.
I have a father, who left my mom/family when I was 13 for another woman and a lifestyle of drugs. He's never been there despite us having some phone conversation-type relationship over the years. When I got married I asked my mother to walk me down the aisle. It was awesome. My little sister will also do the same.
My dad had been gone three years when I got married last May. I honestly didn't even want to walk down the aisle. If my dad wasn't here to do it, I didn't want anybody else doing it. Except for my mother. She was happy to walk with me and on the day of my wedding she gave me a BEAUTIFUL necklace filled with some of my dad's ashes. So he was there walking with us too. :)
My father died a few years before my wedding, and my grandfather (who I was much closer to) had also passed away. So my awesome mommy walked me down the aisle :)
My dad passed away when I was 7. For a long time I had the idea that a man should walk me down, like an uncle or a brother. Eventually I thought "Uhh... my mom is best friend, so obviously my mom will"
I would want my mother to, she is the most important person in my life.
— u/xiax
My mother is the one who went to school while my dad was dying of cancer so that she could support herself and her two daughters after he died. She was the first of her six brothers and sisters to graduate from college. She raised me to be the person I am today, and for that reason I had my mother walk me down the aisle. Next to my father she is by far the most important person in my life, and it only seemed right that she should lead me into this next phase. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
She raised me, knows me, and loves me, and I'm her only daughter. So it would mean a lot more to both of us than if my father did it
At the end of the day, deciding who you want to walk you down the aisle is such a personal decision. What matters most is that whatever decision you make reflects your truth, be it your mother who walks you, your father, your sibling, or hell, even your dog. As long as it's your choice, there is no wrong answer.
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