Wedding Vows & Ceremony Discussions

"Who gives this woman" alternative phrasing

I'm finishing writing my ceremony for my wedding in only 10 days. I don't want to say Who gives this woman to be married. I'm 36, and although my father is walking me down the aisle I don't feel like he's "giving" me away.
Any suggestions for alternative phrasing?
Thanks!

Re: "Who gives this woman" alternative phrasing

  • You could just skip it. At Catholic weddings, women aren't given away in marriage. The father and/or mother escort the bride to the altar, usually shake the groom's hand, hug the bride and take their seats. 

    At my DD's and S'sIL wedding, both sets of parents were invited to the front to join hands with the couple, as the JOP read a blessing. It was very nice. 
                       
  • ElcaBElcaB member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Either skip it or go with PDKH's suggestion. 
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  • I have heard "Who presents this woman to be joined in matrimony?"  Answer: Her family does.
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  • Jen4948Jen4948 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    I'd just omit it.  Women do not need to be "presented" to be joined in matrimony.
  • I can't stand "who gives" or "who presents".   You aren't an asset to be contributed.   It's gross.

    I would just skip it.  have your father walk you down the aisle and give you a kiss, and be done.  Nothing needs to be said during the "handoff".

  • We're skipping it. My mom and dad are walking me down the aisle. They say they'll kiss me on the cheek, high five each other, and then go sit down. No presenting or giving of me.
  • MagicInk said:
    We're skipping it. My mom and dad are walking me down the aisle. They say they'll kiss me on the cheek, high five each other, and then go sit down. No presenting or giving of me.

    This cracks me up, their high five! As if, "oh good, off the payroll" or "finally launched" or "we're done"!
  • I agree, I don't like the "give" or "presents". I just wanted to find someway to include him. I do, however, like @PDKH 's suggestion.
    It may seem silly to some, but my dad is typical Italian-Catholic. This seems important to him. So, I'm trying to find a happy medium.
    Thank you all for your input!
  • MagicInk said:
    We're skipping it. My mom and dad are walking me down the aisle. They say they'll kiss me on the cheek, high five each other, and then go sit down. No presenting or giving of me.

    This cracks me up, their high five! As if, "oh good, off the payroll" or "finally launched" or "we're done"!
    Right! I was like "you want to high five?" I mean I don't care. Hell I hope someone gets a picture of it! But it's just so funny.
  • We are doing a blessing... 
    imageWedding Countdown Ticker
  • @Gina0887 where did you find that? That's wonderful!
  • Can you say something like "Who stands with/stands behind this woman as she is joined in matrimony"?

    @Gina0887 's blessing is beautiful, btw - I'm definitely thinking about stealing that :)
  • Jen4948Jen4948 member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    @Gina0887's wording is beautiful.
  • MagicInk said:
    We're skipping it. My mom and dad are walking me down the aisle. They say they'll kiss me on the cheek, high five each other, and then go sit down. No presenting or giving of me.
    We skipped it as well. No one cared. We didn't have a religious ceremony and we wanted it to be as quick as possible so people could eat, drink & dance.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • We are going with "Who supports this Couple’s Decision to become husband and wife?".   Then we are having all four of our parents stand and say "We Do", rather than just my dad "giving me away". 

    I kind of wanted both my mom & dad to walk me down the aisle, but my dad wasn't happy with that idea and it was obvious that he would be hurt by that. So, this seemed like a good compromise.  And we really like the idea of having all our parents involved and voicing their support during our ceremony.  

    image 

  • Our wedding was last week, and we ended up using @PDKH's suggestion. My Dad and I were happy with the compromise.
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