64 Emotional Father-of-the-Bride Wedding Photos

A wedding is about celebrating with those you love—and two VIPs in attendance will likely be your fathers, the men who have helped raise you, and are among the ones you love the most. So if you and your partner are lucky enough to have such significant figures in your life, take a moment to recognize how special their presence is on the big day. After all, it's a remarkable thing to be able to share this milestone with them, which, perhaps, is why there are so many wedding-day traditions that include the father of the bride.

Keep reading to see how couples from real weddings included the dads in their lives on their special days. In the gallery below, you'll see not just father-of-the-bride wedding photos—although there are plenty!— but also the sweetest snapshots featuring father of the grooms, grandfathers, father figures, and grooms who are dads themselves. Plus, you'll find plenty of smiles, tears, and laughter to boot. We suggest you take notes from these photos of fathers at weddings for your own photo shot list. That way, you'll have plenty of special pics for #HFD and #TBTs for years to come!

Want to have an extra special moment with dad? Consider doing a father-daughter first look, as bride Gina did here.

It's no secret that "first looks" make for great photos. So, if you have time in your timeline, schedule one with your maids, dad, and partner if you can. At this California wedding, the bride did hers on a picture-perfect rooftop.

The father-daughter dance makes for an extra special moment, as shown here. We love how the photographer shot this snap on black-and-white film—it's ready for a place in the family photo album.

At this couple's Hindu ceremony, the bride's mother and father escorted her down the aisle to an instrumental cover of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.

If you're walking down the aisle with dad, make sure to snap a photo of the actual giveaway, too. How sweet is this hug between father and daughter?!

At the wedding of Bridal Bar founder Harmony Walton, the bride's father wished to share a dance with his daughter, despite his hearing loss. "I asked him to pick a song he could hear in his head, even if he couldn't actually hear the music," she says. Her father chose "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, and when it came time to dance, the bride mouthed the words to her father so they could follow the beat together. "It was a really emotional moment, everyone on the lawn was in tears," Harmony recalls.

Just as we mentioned capturing the "giveaway," make sure you capture your first moments with dad as well. This shot documents the moment just before the bride walked down the aisle with her father.

Father-in-laws are important figures so don't forget to capture them in action as well, as shown here with a hug between the groom and the father of the bride.

The "Real Dads of Melbourne" decided to take photos together before their wedding, which allowed them to focus on celebrating with family and friends after the ceremony. "It was the best decision we made," says the couple.

This bride hit the dance floor with her dad to “Wildflowers” by Tom Petty. 

At this wedding in Charleston, the brides opted to do two separate father-daughter dances, with Emily and her dad danced to Elton John’s “Your Song” while Ciarra and her father moved to Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me.”

“Traditionally in Telugu weddings, the bride is escorted by her maternal uncles,” explains bride Maanasa, who married in a vibrant wedding at Cedar Lakes Estate. “To incorporate both sides of my family, I walked with two paternal uncles and my two maternal uncles. Although traditionally not seen in Telugu weddings, my father walked me down the aisle as well as he felt this was a Western tradition he always wanted to do!"

At this New Jersey ceremony, both brides were escorted down the aisle by their parents. A string quartet from the Queer Urban Orchestra performed The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” as Kiyomi arrived and “Ave Maria,” for Meaghan, who gave her father a kiss at the altar.

No doubt dad will be having this photo framed.

The groom’s father walked the bride down the aisle at this beach wedding in Brazil. "He is the father that life has given me—I could not be happier," bride Noeme says.

We adore how this father and daughter walked hand-in-hand into the ceremony.

Bride Geraldine’s father couldn’t contain his excitement as he presented his daughter to her groom!

At this wedding in Mexico, the bride and her father performed a father-daughter dance mash-up of "My Girl" by The Temptations and Meghan Trainor's "Dance Like Yo Daddy." "I'm very close with my father, he's my spirit animal," says the bride.

We expect all the guests reached for their Kleenex during this heartwarming moment.

We're obsessed with this heartfelt gift bride Seane gave her dad ahead of her French nuptials.

At their warehouse wedding in Portland, Maine, both brides took a spin on the dance floor with their dads to "My Girl" by the Temptations. "We danced with our own dads, then danced with our fathers-in-law toward the end of the song," says bride Allison. "Our families have been so supportive of our relationship since day one, and we were so lucky to have them by our sides on our wedding day!"

The father of the bride embraced the groom at this tearjerking ceremony.

Bride Mariangel had two very special escorts down the aisle. First, her grandfather escorted her for the first half of her walk, where they met her father and continued the rest of the way to meet the groom at the altar.

At her Chicago reception, bride Kristin and her father had a surprise for everyone: a surprise routine! “We started our dance to ‘Because You Loved Me’ by Celine Dion, then we put on a glasses with a jersey and jacket to dance to ‘Go Cubs Go’ by The Steve Goodman Anthology," she explains. "The smile on my dad’s face is something I’ll never forget!”

Bride Jimena's father gave her a kiss on her forehead before walking her down the aisle.

This is one twirl around the dance floor no one will ever forget.

The emotion is palpable in this sweet snapshot of the bride hugging her father.

"I had both my father and my stepfather walk me down the aisle together," says the bride of the special shared moment.

This bride gave her father a sweet smooch at the end of the aisle.

Before this bride and her stepfather made their debut, the bride had a bout of nerves—but her veil quickly calmed them. “It was so windy, and my veil was all over the place!” bride Alex laughs. “I nearly lost it, and while it made my entrance less dramatic, it definitely helped to break the tension.”

We bet there wasn't a dry eye in the house during this emotional father-daughter dance at Blackberry Farm.

We love the adoring look this bride gave her dad as he walked her down the aisle.

Leave it to grandpa to entertain the kiddos at the wedding!

Dad always has your back! This father paused to fix his daughter's train before walking her down the aisle.

On her wedding day in New Orleans, bride Jessica opted to do a first look with her father.

This beautiful bride walked down the aisle on the arm of her father as "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri played.

We love snapshots showcasing grooms who are dads, too! This couple chose to include their young daughter in the celebration. She had a starring role as their flower girl—and during the ceremony, she was rolled down the aisle in a flower-covered wagon.

This couple opted to combine the mother-son and father-daughter dances. "Both my father and Jeff’s mother tend to be shy so we decided to combine the dances together," explains the bride. "Keeping with our oldies music theme, we danced to 'That’s How Strong My Love Is' by Otis Redding."

This bride spent time with her father before walking down the aisle.

The bride's father walked her down the aisle during the ceremony, which took place at her childhood home.

Bride Amanda Kloots made a grand entrance with her dad—and gave him a big squeeze at the end of the aisle!

These newlyweds included their daughter, Indiana Rose, in their post-ceremony portraits.

Bride Danielle danced with her father to Tim McGraw's "Little Girl."

Natalia’s dad joined her while she finished getting ready so they could spend time together before her church ceremony.

A crowd of 275 guests gathered in an intimate garden to watch Maggie walk down the aisle with her father as her little brother, Kenny, played the keyboard.

These dads spent time bonding over their sure-to-be-loved wedding presents from their children, the bride and groom!

A first look with dad is always a great idea—especially when it takes place on a grand staircase.

The bride's father escorted her down the aisle at this romantic wedding in California.

The bride did a first look with her dad before the ceremony, just before both of her parents walked her down the aisle to an instrumental version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” played by live musicians.

The bride and her father entered the ceremony to musicians playing Al Green's "Let's Stay Together."

The dances—including the father-daugher dance to “If I Could” by Regina Belle —were especially important to this music-loving bride.

At this ceremony at Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado, the bride and her father made one grand (and very long!) walk down to the altar.

"l walked the first part of the aisle on my own, and my mother and father met me halfway and we walked together to the chuppah," says this beautiful bride, who married in Los Angeles.

Happily Grey's Mary Lawless and her dad arrived to the ceremony in a 1950s Jaguar.

This groom and his dad took to the streets of Brooklyn for their portraits—or should we say, candid shots.

This happy couple spent time with their son before the ceremony. “Having our sons made us realize what was really important, which is why we stripped away so many of the wedding traditions,” says the bride.

Talk about a grand entrance—beneath a ceiling covered in hanging blush pink carnations!

During this intimate New York City wedding reception, the brides' fathers took a minute to toast to the happy couple.

This groom walked his parents down the aisle at his vintage-inspired Palm Springs wedding.

This father-daughter duo walked down the aisle of the church where her great-grandparents were married.

This bride got ready at her family home in Raleigh, where she also did a first look in the living room with her dad.

Instead of groomsmen, the groom’s two daughters served as "groomsgirls," wearing white dresses finished with embroidered Marchesa sash belts to match the bride's gown.

This bride threw on a cable-knit sweater over her Carolina Herrera gown before marching alongside her father.