With nearly 6,200 weddings taking place every day, there’s a good chance your baby will get hitched sometime in the future. While this is an exciting celebration, for dads, this can be a day of tremendous panic. From approving the life partner to forking out funds to pay for the day, it’s important to take a step back and remember where the focus should be: your child. This is the ideal time to step up to the plate and provide support and guidance where requested.

Find good resources on proper wedding etiquette

Traditionally, the father of the bride had to fork out a substantial amount on the wedding, covering items such as the venue hire and food. The father of the groom then covered the bar tab or other smaller items. Modern weddings are a little different and as a father, it’s important to sit the children down and discuss the finances in order to get a better understanding of who pays for what. Fathers who are able to pick up a substantial portion of the wedding tab should offer support where needed, but etiquette should be exercised to ensure the day remains in the hands of the bridal couple.

Keep up with trends  

Apart from doilies on the saucers and marzipan and fruit cake 3-tiered wedding cakes, there are a few other wedding traditions that may also slowly fall by the wayside. Dads who like getting their hands dirty and want to part of the planning should be prepared to taste lemon meringue cake, receive their invitation via email, and do research on wedding ring trends that allow the bridal pair to add their personal flavor to the wedding. This may also be a time to forego the traditional corsages and settle for a boutonniere that was laser cut from a piece of pine.

You will need to participate in the day

If it’s your little girl, chances are good that you will need to walk her down the aisle and hand her over to her betrothed. It’s okay to have a tissue in your pocket for the event as it’s not uncommon to shed a tear. There’s also the father and daughter dance, and of course, the speeches. As the father of the groom, the speech forms a big part of your involvement in the day and once again that tissue should be handy.

When it’s time for those wedding bells to ring and it’s your baby taking those steps down the aisle, it’s important to remember that sometime long ago, you were someone’s baby making those very same steps.