Gifts for the Father Of The Bride
From the moment a daughter is born, the thoughts of her parents will start to wander to the possibility of who she will marry. Will she marry young, or wait, will she marry at all? Will she choose someone you like, and above all, the most important thing, will she be happy? And just as the mothers thoughts, if just momentarily, turn to thoughts of hats, a father begins to imagine what it will feel like, walking his daughter in her wedding dress, up the aisle of a church to meet the man who will take her away. And if that baby daughter could think for herself, perhaps she would start to choose a special father of the bride gift, to say thank you.
The tradition of the father ‘giving away’ his daughter is a pretty unromantic one. In fact, it has its roots in the days when marriages were all arranged. A daughter was the property of her father until the day she married. Just as the prospective groom was expected to ask permission to marry a woman, a tradition which is still alive in principle, a man’s wife became his property on marriage, having no rights or property of her own, save for that which her husband allowed her.
In those days, the groom would be expected to pay for the privilege of ‘owning’ the daughter, perhaps the first ever father of the bride gift. This may have been described as proof that the groom could look after her in the style to which she had become accustomed, but you can’t quite get away from the feeling that the bride was the subject of a pretty basic transaction.
Today of course all that has changed. A father will still officially give away his daughter, but all that is implied is his blessing to the union.
But however much customs have changed, there’s no doubt that a father’s role in a wedding is a very important one. And not only is he key to the day itself, it’s a great opportunity for a daughter and her new husband to say thank you to him for all the years which have gone before too.
And when the service is over, the champagne drunk and the buffet eaten, the bride and groom will go off on their honeymoon, and what better time for the father of the bride to receive a special gift as a memento of his role in his daughter’s life.
Nowadays there are lots of lovely ideas for father of the bride gifts, and many of them can also be personalised for an even more unique gesture. Take a look at http://www.personalisedweddinggifts.co.uk/members/father-of-the-bride-or-groom-gifts.html, you will find plenty gifts for him.
A bottle of aged malt whisky and a pair of tumblers engraved with the date, or some glamorous bar accessories perhaps, even a hip flask would be a comforting yet permanent reminder of the wedding day. Cufflinks, enamelled or engraved with the date or the initials of the bride and groom will make a stylish statement every time they’re worn, and a picture of the bride and her father entering the ceremony, in a silver frame, engraved with a few well-chosen meaningful words will continue to bring back happy memories long after the bills are paid.
Whatever father of the bride gift you choose, it’s easy to make your gift unique and personal, and make sure that although the bride’s heart may technically belong to another, she’ll always be Daddy’s girl.
