‘Father Of The Bride’ Ending, Explained: How Did Sofia Bring A Change In Her Father, Billy?

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Directed by Gary Alazraki and written by Matt Lopez, “Father Of The Bride” is a beautiful direction of a family living in Coral Gables and their problems. It deals with the different issues a family can face and also with the will and zeal to overcome those problems and move forward in life. The story features a father who is unable to keep up with the changing times. He had come to the country with very little and, due to that, strived to earn more than enough to afford a certain lifestyle for his family. He is very traditional and has trouble understanding the new culture and its trends. His money-driven personality made him forget to enjoy the simple things in life. The story is about how a senior man embraces the new waves in his own stride.

Spoilers Ahead

Billy Herrera is of Cuban ancestry. He arrived in the United States of America with the goal to make his mark on the world. He married Ingrid with little to his name and had spent his life with just enough to afford meals and a living space. He had vowed to never let his daughter, Sofi, who was born first, live a good life. Therefore, he slaved away and made a good name for himself. He became the most sought-after architect in Coral Gables. However, along the way, Billy became a workaholic and rigid in his ways and customs, which made it unbearable for his wife, Ingrid, to stay with him. They went to couples counseling. However, Billy was adamant about not changing. This led to a disagreement, and Ingrid asked for a divorce.

Sofi went on to create a name for herself as a lawyer and wished to help the immigrants in Mexico. She also went on to fall in love with Adan, a Mexican man, and a lawyer. Sofi returned to Billy, Ingrid, and her sister Cora to break the news. Billy and Cora were supposed to break the news to them, but on learning about Sofi’s nuptials, they decided to bear with each other for a little longer.

In the month to follow their wedding, the planning for the wedding seemed to create a strain on everybody. Billy had a huge fallout with Adan’s father and was upset that nothing was going his way. He wanted his daughter to marry in a ceremony he pictured for them. This led to him insulting Adan’s Mexican heritage and also trying to establish his own Cuban heritage over them. He couldn’t fathom everybody not listening to him, and this fight caused him to have a rude awakening. His family were so embarrassed by his behavior that, in no simple terms, they gave him the ultimatum. He could learn to compromise and be a part of the wedding, or he could leave.

With the pending divorce and his daughters’ being unhappy with him, Billy was forced to re-evaluate himself. He realized his mistakes and focused on how to make them better. Billy realized that in chasing after the perfect life, he had forgotten to find joy in the simple things. He had forgotten how to have fun and how to be a good husband. In order to become a picture-perfect architect, he had forgotten to listen to his family. He supported their decisions, but he never listened to them.

The Wedding of Sofi helped unravel the various flaws that Billy never sought to improve. A change came over him when he realized how badly he must have behaved. Adan proved to be a good help in changing him. Billy had first ridiculed him when Adan had said that he wanted to be like Sofi and wanted to follow her, supporting her while she fulfilled her dreams. Adan was quickly proving to be a picture-perfect man, who didn’t feel insecure about his wife’s ambitions, nor did he feel the need to limit her. He was confident in himself and clearly very in love with Sofi, proudly supporting her decisions and her goals. Billy learned how to support his wife and daughter and that sometimes it is necessary to change according to the waves of change. Sofi’s wedding also proved to be a break for Cora, who wanted to become a designer. Sofi wanted to support her sister in her dreams. Although she wanted her to pursue college, she understood that Cora wanted to be something else. She wholeheartedly supported her sister, and asked her if she could design her wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses. Cora got her big break through her sister’s wedding and was able to prove to her father that she could be a good designer and enjoy a blooming business if she could access her college funds and invest in her business.

Billy realized that this century does not necessarily depend on having a big degree and, instead, a presence of mind and knowledge that is not necessarily taught at the institutes can build up a blooming business. He realized that being traditional is good. However, accepting change and proceeding with it is smarter. He had all but given in to having the wedding Adan’s father had arranged. However, the storm that had hit the town had all but dashed those hopes.

The storm acted as the storm of change that hits life suddenly and leaves a wreck in its wake. This storm marked an important step in Billy’s life, where he understood his daughters’ dreams and planned accordingly. He was on his phone making reservations in Baltimore when he realized that his daughters never wanted this, his wife never wanted this, and all they wanted from him was to be there, supporting them, involved in their plans, and enjoying life with them. With this epiphany, Billy supported Sofi by helping her recreate her ideal wedding from the comfort of their home. Sofi wanted a small wedding filled with warmth and love for those who mattered. Billy, Ingrid, and the rest of the neighbors set about to give Sofi the wedding filled with warmth and love she had wanted.

Life has a way of working out. The wedding turned out to be perfect. The wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses designed by Cora were well appreciated and loved by many. This displayed her potential. The most change was seen in Billy, who finally realized that he should take a step back and enjoy his life. This helped his marriage, because Ingrid got back her husband, and the daughters got back their father, who was not obsessed with his work. He stopped and realized that, indeed, they had come far, and both his daughters were capable enough to make decisions on their own. He realized that sometimes changes are for good, and he realized he needed to embrace these changes and move forward, or else he would be the one who would be left behind.

“The Father of the Bride” is a beautiful movie that slowly explains the turbulence of change. Life is short, and it is necessary to work to afford a lifestyle. However, it is also necessary to sit back, relax and enjoy the little joys that life provides. If we don’t, we may never realize how time has slipped by, and the precious memories that could have been made are replaced by the monotonous routine we set for ourselves. It is up to us to balance out our lives. “The Father of the Bride” leaves us with a lesson that life is going to pillage and destroy our carefully sought up plans; however, it simply is our decision how we may use the ruins to decorate and move on simply, or we could despair over what could be. Changes are scary, but they are necessary. We could let ourselves be swept up by the changes and lose ourselves in the process, or we could embrace the changes and let ourselves be guided by the process. Billy was stuck in his ways and was very adamant, yet he did have a vulnerable, sensitive side that helped him own up to his mistakes and wholeheartedly embrace the change and let him be guided by it. The film was very beautiful with its exceptional direction and meaningful scenarios.


“The Father of the Bride” is a 2022 Drama Romance film directed by Gary Alazraki.

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Alokananda Sen
Alokananda Sen
Alokananda Sen holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. She has a keen interest in graphic designing, reading, and photography. Her insatiable appetite for cinema and pop culture enticed her to work as a content writer. She is currently pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma focused in Animation & VFX to explore a new dimension in her career.

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