I am 27 years old and my Dad passed 8 years ago. Ever since he passed, one of the things that saddened me the most was the thought of walking down the aisle without him. My mom remarried 6 years ago to a really amazing guy. My mom has never been happier and my sister has a step father who cares about how well she does and encourages her to do well in life. My step father has also been very helpful to my older brother and me and goes out of his way for us.
After getting engaged, I decided that I wanted my mom and my brother to walk me down the aisle. My brother and I have a relationship that I cherish and my mom raised and nurtured me. Plain and simple. I had also decided that I would like to honor my step dad with a role in the ceremony (Ex: a reading or handing us the glass to stomp on) because he is an important person in my life.
When I told my mom, she was very upset and thought that I should have my step dad walk me down the aisle with her. Although I love my step dad and appreciate his role in my family, I was not comfortable with that. I had only know him 6 years and look at our relationship as more of a friendship. My mom feels that my choice is disrespectful and that my step dad deserves and has earned the honor to walk me down the aisle with her. She will not recognize my feelings that I am not comfortable with that option and feels that I should honor what she wants for the most important moment in the ceremony (in my opinion).
What do you think? Who should be able to make this decision?