Southern Weddings

We all know a lot of advice is offered — seemingly from every quarter — when you’re engaged. Some of it you keep, and some of it you accept with a smile and then politely disregard. The best pieces of advice, though, the nuggets of truth offered from those closest to us, shape our lives in amazing ways, whether offered during an engagement or not. In honor of Father’s Day, we thought we’d share some of our favorite pieces of advice we’ve learned from our own dads.

From Lara:

My best advice from my dad came engraved on a silver keychain one Christmas: “Fortune favors the bold and scorns the timid.” My dad is a gentle, kind man with a heart of gold. He always wanted me to be an artist, and encouraged me to use my creative talents. I’m so grateful for that, and for this engraved encouragement that has since pushed me to be bold for what matters most.

From Nicole:

My dad has given me a lot of wonderful advice in my lifetime, but the two pieces that have stuck with me the most were actually in the form of declarations:

1. Yangs never give up. (Pretty sure this one was given to me when I was five and trying to fix something I broke.)
2. Yangs keep their last names. (Also given to me when I was five.)

My sister and I joke about these two things a lot (we like to repeat them to each other while imitating my dad — with love), but they’re the two pieces of advice that have molded our outlook on life and our individuality as well as our independence and capabilities.

Martha Manning

From Kristin:

Growing up, my daddy was lucky enough to be the only guy in a house house full of crazy, loud, Southern women. He is a graduate of NC State University and a die-hard Wolfpack fan – so I nearly broke his heart when I decided to attend his rival university (UNC-Chapel Hill). But here lies the beauty of my father and his advice:

“You can do anything, ANYTHING, you just have to try your best“. And he always followed that with, “and I will be behind you 100%, rooting you on and doing everything in my power to make your dreams come true.”

He proudly attended my graduation, wearing a Carolina blue & white striped tie, and calls me regularly to check in and just ‘say hi.’ He has individual pictures of his three girls (my mama, sister and me) in his wallet and will proudly show them to ANYONE he meets. He is so proud of his family. One day, I hope that I am able to share this same encouragement, support and deeply rooted love of family with my children.

From Sara, our intern:

Along with the majority of his personality traits, there are endless pieces of advice that my dad has directly and indirectly passed on to me over the years. My dad is living proof of the phrase that there are no strangers, only friends he has not yet met (standing true to the idea of Southern hospitality!). His outgoing nature and love of life have led me to structure my days around four simple words that he used to shout from his office as I left for school each morning: “Attitude is 80 percent.” Most days, I still get a text saying the same thing, and I am so grateful.

From Morgan, our other intern:

I, like most Southern girls, truly think my dad is the best man in the world. The best advice my dad has given me came in the form of a simple phrase: Be good to each other. Though this was usually applied as a mediating phrase spoken to my sister and I during the midst of a disagreement while growing up, I have remembered the phrase and remind myself of the advice daily. Daddy saying “Be good to each other” has taught me to love, to be sweet, and to live a kind life considering other’s circumstances and feelings in an effort to “be good” to them.

Tanja Lippert

One of the phrases I remember my Dad saying most often is, “if you’re going to give, give graciously.” This line was likely precipitated by me shoving a toy at my sister if I was forced to share, or stepping aside from my turn on the swing with a begrudging huff. As I grew up, though, it took on a deeper meaning than a simple response, reminding me to be grateful, to have a generous heart, and to do more than was required of me, even if I didn’t feel like it. My dad taught me that what matters isn’t just IF you do it, it’s HOW you do it. One of the things I strive for most in life is to be a gracious person, and I’m guessing that urge can be traced back to one of my Dad’s favorite lines.

How about you, readers? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from your dad?

Written with love by Emily