Dads. They mend plugs with butter knives, keep half-empty tins of paint in the shed and always, always know where the batteries are kept. So when it came to advice about weddings, Staggered decided that we should go straight to our readers’ dads and see what pearls of wisdom they’d dispensed before their weddings. Turns out our readers’ dads enjoy quotes and clichés.

“He seems like a nice lad, he always has done, and I’m glad you’re marrying him. But remember, if needs be, I’ll bash his head in.” – Lucy

“Marriage is not always 50/50. Some days you will wake up and may have to give 90% and your spouse will give 10%. Other days you may wake up and give 25% and your husband will have to put in the 75%. I never thought of this before but it is so true.” – Roger

“Remember, she does want something for her birthday.” – Al

“At the height of planning my wedding, and when my grooms frustration reached its peak, my father took me to one side and said “You know all the times when you’ve imagined scoring an FA Cup winning goal at Wembley, or taking 5 wickets at Lords, or playing the closing set at Glastonbury, or whatever you imagine when your brain goes in to its screensaver mode… Well for every time you’ve imagined something like that which will never happen, she’s imagined this wedding day and that will – so be patient and cut her some slack – it’ll be worth it in the end”. He’s a genius, my father!” -  Jim

“Don’t cock it up.” – Alan

“The two cornerstones of a wonderful marriage are chocolate and compromise.” – Marie

“Live long and prosper.” – Alex (“Yes, he did quote Spock.”)

“You never suited a bachelor life.” – Andy

“Can we hurry this along if possible; the dog’s getting restless back in the car.” – Colin

Article by Andrew Shanahan of I am Staggered

Let us know if your own dad had something to share prior to your big day. Was it as meaningful as Colin’s Dad’s? If you’re a father of the bride then be sure to have a look at the UK’s leading men’s wedding website Staggered as we’ve got plenty of resources just for you.