Man walking daughter down the aisle stops abruptly to invite stepdad to join — bride's reaction is a moment of pure joy
Walking down the aisle can be a big moment for any bride. But for one woman, it was extra special because of what her dad did before they began the special walk. The woman was about to walk down the aisle with her dad when the man stopped and turned to the woman's stepdad. He asked the man to join them as they walked down and everyone in the wedding party, including the bride, was really surprised and overwhelmed at the gesture, per a video shared by the bride, Shayna Sweeney, who goes by @shaysween on TikTok. The brief clip received more than 7.1 million views on the platform.
The bride and her father came in with big smiles on their faces as the guests stood up to welcome them. The groom was waiting at the altar when the dad stopped and left his daughter behind to walk up to her stepdad. People looked quite confused until the man reached the stepdad sitting in the front row and walked up to him. "You raised her, too. Would you like to help me escort her?" he told the stepdad while pointing at the daughter and walked back with him to the place where his daughter was still standing. There were squeals of awe and tears as they went to the bride. The stepdad gave her a big hug before he stood by her side.
Both men stood on each side of the woman and walked her down the aisle together. Sweeney couldn't stop smiling and looking at both of her dads as she walked down the aisle with them in that emotional moment, among applause from the guests. Her dad gave her a big hug before he gave her hand to the groom. On the other hand, the stepdad shook the groom's hand and hugged Sweeney before he walked back with her dad. "I love you," she told her stepdad as she handed over her bouquet to someone. The caption read, "Lucky to have two dads." The video received over 1.4 million likes and people gushed over the bond the woman shares with her two dads in the comments section of the video.
@madisonleighdodd wrote, "This is beautiful. Family through and through. Your dad is so selfless and your stepdad seems like such a special part of your life. Also, you look BREATHTAKING." @caitlyn_eliseee commented, "My dad gave me the ultimatum of not attending my wedding when I told him this was my plan, so thank you for showing me what should have been." @alexxtraa remarked, "Step Dad was barely keeping it together! It was clearly an honor he wasn’t expecting. Just beautiful, you’re so loved."
@katy__rich shared, "This was always my dream. My stepdad became my dad when I was 8, but he passed away when I was 22. I hope to still honor him in some way when this moment happens for me." @connieytay expressed, "I wish this could be my wedding, I have two dads, but unfortunately, this could never happen for me. So glad these men are big enough to do this for you." In an update, the woman also shared other snippets of the ceremony with her husband as they read their vows, exchanged rings and celebrated with their friends and family.
You can follow Shayna Sweeney (@shaysween) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.