As 'father of the bride' I recently wrote this poem and read it at my daughter Jo's wedding. It was a great success. Quite a few moist eyes. If you or anyone you know would like to use it at a wedding then please feel free. I'd be very pleased, but would be grateful if you would acknowledge me as the author.
On My Daughter's Wedding
You cannot choose your parents, that is true;
your parents, likewise, could not choose you.
Nor can parents choose whom their child adores
for life's haphazard magic will ensure
love alighting where it may.
Our child's partner's parents had no way
of choosing who their child would be,
or whom he'd love and, likewise, he
could have no choice of them. And yet,
like winnings from a long-odds bet,
we've gained what we'd have chosen happily:
our son-in-law, good friends, new family.
© Trevor Parsons