Traditionally, a bride is walked down the aisle on her wedding day by her father, but if your dad has passed away or is no longer part of your life, then you might opt to have another family member - such as a stepdad, grandad, brother, or even your mum - fulfil the role instead. Some brides even choose to have one of their best mates take on the job, and ultimately the choice is up to you.
But one newlywed has caused a rift with her stepdad over her decision to have her brother walk her down the aisle, as he believes he should have been asked to do it as the active "father figure" in the woman's life.
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The woman's brother explained that their dad passed away when they were kids and their mum remarried less than a year later, so their stepdad has been in their lives for some time.
However, both the man and his sister struggled to bond with their stepdad, and although he was never asked to perform any father of the bride duties at the woman's wedding, he automatically assumed he would be the one walking her down the aisle on the big day.
In a post on Reddit, the man said: "My sister got married on Saturday. She asked me several months ago to walk her down the aisle and to have a dance to honour our dad. I said of course.
"Our dad died when I was 11 and she was 7. We both have memories of him and she wanted to honour him and feel connected to him on the day, and saw me as the best person for the job. So I walked her to her husband and danced to the song our dad used to sing to us.
"Our mother was remarried before our dad was a year gone. Her husband has no children and was unable to have kids of his own. So he made a big attempt to take over our dad's place and be regarded as dad, which he wasn't.
"Despite knowing this, and never being asked, he assumed he would be fulfilling father of the bride duties at my sister's wedding and on the day when he learned it was me she asked, he was visibly upset. I had an idea he was expecting it but said nothing. Neither did she."
The man said his stepdad and his mum were both "furious" at him for agreeing to walk his sister down the aisle when he "knew" his stepdad wanted to do it, but he didn't see the issue when he was simply fulfilling his sister's wishes.
He added: "At the reception, he confronted me and asked why I would do it when he's right there, and how was I more deserving than him, her father figure. I told him it was my sister's choice and she wanted me so we could honour our dad.
"He told me he deserved better than to be completely ignored in the wedding and treated like he was not a parent and not a part of our family for the last 15 years. I shrugged, which p***ed him off even more.
"He and my mum are both furious at me for saying yes when I knew he wanted to do it."
Commenters on the post were firmly on the side of the man and his sister, with many of them agreeing that it was the bride's choice to make, and she shouldn't be made to feel bad for her decision.
One person said: "It's the bride's choice. Her wedding, her rule - simple as that."
While another added: "You're exactly right, it's your sister's choice, not his."
And a third wrote: "Your stepdad needs to learn his place and your mum needs to wake up and honour/respect the fact that no one will ever replace you're father, ever. It's gross and selfish how they're acting and they should be ashamed. Don't ever feel bad for this decision."
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