With the ever-evolving family dynamics, and the increasing average age of marriage - the question "Why gives this women..." has become a lot more complicated. For many reasons, be it divorce, absentism, or a lose in the family - many brides do not have a clear cut answer as to who will walk them down the aisle or give them away. Some brides are dealing with the lose of a father, some brides are dealing with juggling a father and a step father, and others just don't have that relationship with their father. If you fall into one of those categories - here are some important tips and ideas that may help make your day a little smoother.

1. ANYONE can walk you down the aisle - it doesn't just have to be dad. It can be mom, a child, a sibling, an aunt or uncle, a godparent, a grandparent, a close friend or any other individual who has been a key part of your life until that point. And yes - IT CAN be a female!!

2. NO ONE has to walk you down the aisle - it is not uncommon today to have the bride walk herself down the aisle. In cases where you have both a father and step father you are very close to - this may be the best option.

3. GIVING AWAY THE BRIDE is old fashioned but sweet. It dates back to the time when women belonged to the men in control of them and were "passed" from father to husband. Today, it is just done as tradition and can be skipped all together. If you want to keep the tradition, you can change it up a little to make it work.

No father present? Have Mom give you away, or have both Mom and the groom's parents do it together. The priest asks "Who gives their blessing to this union" and all parents say "We DO". This option works well for mixed families as well, as parents, step parents and in laws can all respond together.

I hope you find some of that useful. To many brides stress themselves out trying to make that part of the wedding work when today's family are just not that simple. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to tailor the tradition to match your unique family dynamic - or lose the tradition all together.