Asking daddy's permission before proposing

[PeppyGPhiB]

When my boyfriend and I started to talk more and more about getting married, my mom let me know that she wanted him to ask for her blessing. I also wanted that, first because I think it's a lovely tradition, and second because I believe that a marriage is about more than just the couple. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to have in-laws that didn't understand boundaries or who couldn't get along with the son/daughter-in-law knows that well. A marriage is the joining of families, and when you're as close to your family as I am, you care a great deal about whether they like and respect you.

I am 31 years old and yet I told my fiance he needed to ask my mother for her blessing before he proposed to me. Not only was it a sign of respect for my mother (who is one of the strongest women I know and who has sacrificed a great deal for me), but it also gave my mom a chance to have a heart-to-heart with him and tell him/ask him a few things she felt was important. I knew my mom loved him and that she would be so happy and excited, but I also knew she felt it was her responsibility to bless our marriage as the single mother who raised me. He wasn't "asking permission," she was giving him her best wishes for us as we start our own family.

And a year from now, when I walk down the aisle of our church, my mom will be the one giving me away.