Prepare Your Daughter Now for Her Wedding Day

by Sally Matheny

Remind your daughter she truly is the daughter of a King.
Photo by Pixaby.

Is there a little princess twirling through your home? Perhaps she has difficulty choosing a "wedding dress" from the half-dozen glittering dresses in her closet. 

Her days are filled with delightful giggles bubbling out as she waves from the top of the sofa . . . I mean, her horse-drawn, glass carriage. 

And you breathe in these moments. 
Then reality hits. Unless you have a fairy godmother, you wonder if you'll be able to make that future fairy tale wedding come true. Whether she's two or twelve,  now is the time to begin preparing your daughter for her wedding.

The average cost of a wedding in the United States is around $30,000 according to valuepenguin.com. Manhattan, New York weddings skyrocket over $88,000 and Mississippi marriages glide around $13,000. 

Weddings in my home state of North Carolina typically average $28,000, but not so for my family.

Yes, we are in the midst of planning another wedding. Two years ago, we were thrilled to help plan our first daughter’s wedding. Now we’re joyful again over a wonderful, young man marrying our second daughter. For years, we prayed for God to bless our daughters with godly husbands. Then, we prayed for God’s help with the wedding planning!

What? Anyone who attempts a DIY wedding surely calls on the Lord’s help!
  

If you’re blessed with daughters, regardless of their current age, there are a few things you can do now to prepare them for their beautiful wedding day. In fact, if your daughter is a toddler, you have a greater advantage.

I could say to start a savings account for the wedding. But how realistic is that?

In the early years, all the “extra” money keeps bottoms dry and tummies full. Somehow, children grow faster than savings accounts and parents are doing all they can to save for college. 

Just as we are catching our breath, a love story unfolds, and one day our little girl comes home with a smile that shines as brightly as the new ring on her finger. 
  

Watch bridal television shows with caution.
Photo by Flickr.

So, where does one start in preparing for a wedding? 

If your daughter is still very young, start now. 

You’ve heard engaged women on television say something similar to, “All my life I’ve dreamed of a fairytale wedding.” Bridal reality shows like Say Yes to the Dress (TLC), Bridezillas (WE tv), and My Fair Wedding (WE tv) have an excessive amount to tempt the imaginations of wide-eyed little girls gazing at the television.

Parents, perhaps consider protecting your youngest viewers from such shows. If you do allow them to watch, initiate conversations about the attitudes often displayed. Are they pleasing to God? How do the goals of the vendors and the consumers vary? Sometimes children are unable to differentiate between an unrealistic wedding and a sensible, yet beautiful, one.

Sensible does not mean ugly or boring. Sensible means “sane, judicious, and wise.” Instead of planting thoughts of extravagant weddings in our children’s minds, focus on planting seeds of wisdom, that will produce beautiful and godly weddings.

Pretending to be a Princess Bride
Photo by Pixaby

There are definitely lovely times for children to use their imaginations pretending they’re dancing in beautiful attire at a ball. But somewhere along the line, our daughters must realize it’s not glass slippers, a castle, or a fairy godmother that make a wedding beautiful.

Beauty begins in the heart. The characteristic traits we should possess while preparing for a wedding are the very qualities we need for a healthy and happy marriage. Love, patience, kindness, compassion, gentleness, and joy. Also important are humility, forgiveness, and self-control.

So, cherish the moments with your twirly-whirly, sparkly girl. Remind her she truly is the daughter of a King. Guide her princess heart to seek Him in all things, including her wedding dreams.

Stay tuned. I’ll be sharing some things we learned along the way as our children entered the dating world, courtship, and learned how to build godly relationships. Plus, I’ll pass on some helpful tips for planning a beautiful wedding on a sane budget.