Dad refuses to pay for daughter's wedding as she won't let him walk her down the aisle

4 July 2023, 15:55

By Alice Dear

The dad has been left hurt by his 'independent' daughter's decision to walk down the aisle alone.

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A dad is refusing to pay for his daughter's wedding after she told him he won't be walking her down the aisle.

The unnamed man, 48, shared his story on forum Reddit where he went looking for advice on how to handle the situation, and to ask whether he was in the wrong.

The father of the bride explained that he and his wife raised their daughter, 19, to be an independent person, but that her recent decision has hurt their feelings.

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He wrote: "She got engaged and decided that she doesn’t want me to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. She argues that her mother and I don’t 'own' her, therefore we have no right to 'give her away'."

The father of the bride initially said he would not be paying for his daughter's wedding [Stock Image]. Picture: Getty

The man said he feels "hurt" by her decision as they "never treated her like an object or piece of property" and rather they've "tried our best to provide her with a wonderful life".

He continued: "Her stance seems extreme to me and despite discussions, she’s refusing to budge on the issue. I respect her choices, but I feel she’s disregarding our feelings completely."

The dad added that he is no longer paying for the wedding, writing: "I don't want to come across as controlling or manipulative. It's true, I don't 'own' her, I also don't owe her a fully-funded wedding. She can pay for her own wedding if she's insistent on this stance."

The man said he was hurt by his daughter's refusal to let him and her mother walk her down the aisle on her wedding day [Stock Image]. Picture: Getty

As you can imagine, the situation has become a huge talking point on the forum website, with people appearing divided by the man's decision.

One person who agreed with him wrote: "You heard her. She is independent. Independent people deal with their own bills."

Another, however, who thought he was being unfair, commented: "You raised an independent thinker but when that independent thinking is counter to you, you’re going to punish her? Do you really want her wedding day to be a bad memory for both of you?"

In an update added to the original post, the dad said that he was not making his daughter's big day "about him" and that the issue was more to do with her attitude.

He wrote in the first update: "It's a rejection of everything we've done for her, sacrificed for her, given her. It's selfish."

However, in other updates shared later, he made clear that their relationship as father and daughter is "not so weak that a disagreement will ruin it" and that they remain close.

The family have now come to an agreement, with the father offering his daughter a cash gift and the bride including him and her mother in the wedding ceremony in another way [Stock Image]. Picture: Getty

The most recent update on the situation has seen the father of the bride dismiss his previous decision to withhold money, instead offering his daughter a cash gift which is the same amount he gave to his other daughter for her wedding. He added she "can use this for whatever she wants".

The dad also said that his daughter has agreed to "figure out a way" to include him and her mother in the ceremony in another way.