There are only two ways a father will take his little girl growing up and getting married, bad and worse. If you think it is easy for daddy to watch his baby girl leave the nest with a man in her life, think again. He might not say so, but it hurts on a level that only fathers can understand. There is a bond, and I am not talking about a British secret agent, that forms between them like no other in the family dynamic and it just can't be put into words. When daughter is born into this world, so small and innocent, it awakens a fiercely protective instinct in a dad that goes unrivaled in the annals of human history. Dad would fight an entire pride of lions just for looking at his baby girl.

Now everyone is talking about her wedding. How does dad handle this sudden emergence of a time clock that is ticking away the days until his little girls officially becomes a woman and will no longer depend on him? He swallows his pride and his fatherly instinct and gives her the best wedding he can't afford, that's how. He will get the best of everything from the cake to the wedding favors. We are not talking about any old cake and gifts. Dad will buy the most expensive cake in the catalog and the most unique wedding favors and spare no expense on any part of the wedding.

Why does daddy do all this knowing it will only lead to his greatest loss? The answer to this age old question is simple enough when you think about it. Dad secretly wants his little girl to think of him fondly when she remembers her wedding day. Seventy years from now, when she looks back on her life and goes through her photo album for the zillionth time, he wants her to remember how much he loved her and would sacrifice for her. By this time, she would have realized that throwing her the grandest wedding the world has ever seen on his budget was the only way left to him to show her how much he loves her.

There are a few things you should and should not do at your wedding with dear old dad in mind. First, take a minute to reflect on all the sacrifices he made for you. When you have remembered how much he loves you, remember not to do this at the wedding. Don't ignore him in the slightest way. Every time he is within five feet of you, kiss him on the cheek and say something with the word "Daddy" in it. Don't is let anyone cut in on your dance with him. And most important, don't, under any circumstances, leave him alone with your new husband. The man may disappear and never be heard from again. If he asks your soon to be betrothed man to come down to the basement for a minute so he can show him something, become alarmed.

The things you should do are easy and should come to you naturally anyway. Make eye contact with him often, especially when he is across the room pretending to be occupied with the buffet, he's not. More likely is he is going through the motions and thinking about your first date and how he could have prevented it. Make sure that when you are ready to make the grand, bride and groom exit, daddy is the first, and the last person that you say good bye to. He will remember that last hug forever so make it a good one. That last squeeze will have to last him for a long time and it is the last one he will get from his "little girl."