Who is walking you down the aisle?

Fathers are still walking brides down the aisle

Family dynamics might be changing in modern society but the majority of brides still choose to have their father walk them down the aisle according to an Easy Weddings poll. The poll showed that 57% of the brides that took part would be walking down the aisle on the arm of their dad.

The tradition of fathers walking their daughters down the aisle to their fiance, or ‘giving them away’ dates back to a time when daughters were literally the property of their fathers. Over the years it became more of a symbolic gesture, with the bride being passed from the protection of her father into the protection of the groom.

While some people see this tradition as old fashioned or chauvinistic, many brides love the sense of tradition that walking down the aisle with their father brings. Equally most fathers of the bride are very proud to be able to escort their daughter on one of the most important walks of her life.

Not all brides walk down the aisle with their fathers. As the average age of marriage rises it may be less likely that a bride’s father will be alive to walk her down the aisle. Broken families also contribute to the number of brides who choose someone else to escort them. Of the 1,700 brides that completed the poll 7% reported that they would be walking down the aisle with their mother and 13% said they would be accompanied by a friend or another relation.

For brides that think the tradition is sexist or old fashioned, there are a couple of other options.  11% of brides said that both parents would be accompanying them down the aisle rather than just the father, while 12% declared that they were planning to walk down the aisle alone.