19/06/2020
The Fathers I Have Met at Weddings
(Look for your dad among the categories below)
Fathers...
They are focal points of wedding ceremonies and reception programs — from walking down the aisle to delivering messages.
I’ve met a lot of dads already in my capacity as wedding coordinator and emcee, so I decided to group them.
Which one is your dad/papa/tatay?
1. The Quiet One - this is the father who just sits quietly and observes what’s going on, he smiles from time to time (or not), just waits for his cue. Sometimes this dad refuses to do a father - daughter dance or to give a message. The silence usually means he is trying to keep his emotions in check. He is doing his best to avoid shedding tears.
2. The Punong Abala - this is rare, the fathers who handle turnovers and who know the details of the wedding enough to give instructions to or assist wedding coordinators
3. The Friendly One - this is the father whose guests equal the number of guests of the bride and groom, no kumpare left behind. He spends most of his time entertaining his guests.
4. The Speaker of the House - this is the dad who is known to give lengthy speeches or at least is the designated speaker of the family. (One dad got so drunk, he gave a one-hour speech and no one could stop him.)
5. The Timekeeper - “let’s go!” This dad doesn’t want to be late for church so he wants to leave 2 hours ahead. No more photos, same face lang yan.
6. The Emo Dad - this one cries during the bridal march, maybe even during the reveal of the bride after dress up. He can’t believe his little girl is getting married.
7. The Performer - this dad can sing and/or dance and definitely this dad brings the house down (slow dance + upbeat number during the father - daughter dance? Check ✔️ special song number? Check ✔️)
8. The Comedian - this is the dad who always has a funny line or two from preps to reception — the life of the party, so to speak
9. The Transporter - this is the dad who drives the couple to all their meetings and errands; he even does errands for them, too
10. The Hobbyist - this is the dad who cooks well and prepares crew meals during preps, the dad who personally grows the flowers he will use for his daughter’s bouquet, the dad who crafts wedding accessories. The list is endless, really.
I am pretty certain your dad/papa/tatay is a combination of these categories. What do you think?
Just a few tips though:
a) if you’re not yet married, ask your photographer to snap a solo shot of your father (and your mother) on your wedding day, especially if it’s not all the time that they are dressed to the nines.
b) explain the timeline to your parents especially your dad if he has very definite (and perhaps, outdated) ideas regarding weddings, that way, they will be calm on the day of the wedding (less stress to deal with)
c) prepare your parents especially your dad by letting them know of the parts assigned to them — speech, song and dance number, walk down the aisle, etc. (better that they know, because some don’t deal with surprises well)
And yes, let’s celebrate them and their contributions to our lives, happy fathers’ day! :)
(photo by Ariel Javelosa photography)
