With father’s day fast approaching, we have to write about the first true love in many little girl’s lives….her Father:)  As wedding planners, we often work with the Father’s of the Bride, but let’s be honest here….most of the time we are in communication with them is when vendor or venue payments are due.  The Father of the Bride typically plays the largest financial role in the wedding and often times has the least say in the wedding.  We wanted to write this blog to help you avoid making your Father feel less than important throughout the wedding planning process and on the wedding day.  Here are some tips we recommend communicating with your dad:

♥ Walking Down the Aisle:Of course this is a tradition and is assumed that your father will be the one to walk you down the aisle but we recommend asking him to do so in a cute way whether it be with a card or a little package including few items that hold meaning to you both.  This is always an unexpected surprise and extremely memorable.

♥ First Look: We are all familiar with doing a first look with your soon to be hubby, why not do one with your Father?  When brides are close with their fathers, we always recommend including this in the wedding day timeline.  This tends to be one of the most emotional moments of the day.

♥ Toast: It is very traditional for the Father of the Bride to give a toast to the newlyweds as well as thank the guests for attending during the dinner portion of the evening.  This is always very important to the fathers but always nerve-wracking because they are worried about saying the wrong thing.  Encourage your Dad to say whatever is on his heart.  Remind him that your wedding planner has allotted a certain amount of time for this to take place which is usually anywhere between 3-10 minutes.  This will put him at ease so he can speak freely and knows how much time he has to do so.  Trust us, he will practice and he will have it down pat by the time the wedding day arrives.

♥Song selections: Recently we planned a wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the bride asked her Father to choose the music to be played during the dinner portion of the night.  The Dad told us this really made him feel a part of the planning.  During the wedding, when guests were taking their seats, I overheard him mention to a few of his friends that he was the one who picked out the music they were listening to.  This small gesture really meant a lot to him and it turned out to be a big hit.  We have since then recommended to some of our other couples to do the same.

♥ Father Daughter Dance: This is our favorite!!  Pick a song that has sentimental meaning to your relationship with your father.  This is great if it can be kept a surprise until the wedding day.  The look on Dad’s face when he hears your special song begin to play is priceless.

♥ Thank You Gift: Don’t forget to pick up something your father will love as a special thank you for all he has done for you and your new Hubby:)  This doesn’t mean you need to get something in high dollar value.  Put some thought into making it significant and and even memorable from this important day!  Typically this is given to him at the rehearsal dinner but anytime during the wedding day is just fine as well.

We hope you enjoyed!  Be sure to check us out on social media:

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XOXO,

Trista Guzman                                                                                       Owner of BTS Event Management                                                        Phoenix based wedding planner