Father teaches himself to sing. Serenades daughter on her wedding.

He spent 200 hours learning to sing for his daughter’s wedding.

Whilst John Butcher’s daughter Natalie was caught up in the fuss that traditionally accompanies a bride-to-be in preparation for her special day, the father of the bride was planning something simply adorable.

He spent 20 hours in paid tuition and 180 hours practicing his singing privately to surprise Natalie, 26 (and 100 odd guests, including his wife) at her reception. It was the ultimate wedding day surprise.

Singing a version of the Elvis classic "Always On My Mind", John brought his daughter, wife, and many of their guests to tears, and received a standing ovation.

Since April, the 50 year old from Kent, UK, had secret singing lessons with vocal coach Darren Eiffert for over six months to prepare himself for the event. Only John's son knew of his father's plan to surprise everyone at the wedding.

John told The Daily Mail, "I really can't sing and don't pretend to. I've had a lesson every other week and have practised the song for an hour a day since then."

After her father's incredible performance, daughter Natalie declared it the "icing on the cake" of her special day with her new husband, software developer Ian Wright, 29.

"We had the most amazing day which was finished off perfectly with the surprise of my dad singing after the speech. I was in shock but touched by the choice of song and the amount of effort that had gone into the preparation. Everyone seemed to be as blown away as I was and it is something I will never forget," Natalie said.

John's wife, Mel, 47, was entirely unaware of her husband's plan to serenade their daughter and her new husband, explaining, "I generally wise up to exactly what he is up to, I can't believe he managed to keep it a secret for so long."

"I was laughing and crying, I had my face in a serviette, it was very emotional and I was very proud of him especially as he's not the kind of person to put himself at the centre of attention," Mel went on to say.

To watch the video of John singing at his daughter's wedding, click here.

SCROLL THROUGH the gallery for 21 unusual wedding dresses...

Like this? Try these: