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LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio woman's wedding day became more than just a celebration of her marriage when her father pulled her stepfather out of his seat to help him walk their daughter down the aisle.
Todd Bachman was anxious to give his daughter, 21-year-old Brittany Peck, away last weekend, but he knew he shouldn't be the only one to have that honor, according to Today. Long before the actual ceremony, he began plotting ways to involve his daughter's stepfather, Todd Cendrosky, in the tradition.
Peck was concerned about the situation. The two men hadn't always gotten along in the 14 years Cendrosky has been married to her mother, and she didn't quite know how to approach the subject with her dad, Today reports.
So she nervously gave Bachman a call a few weeks before the wedding and was shocked when he told her he already had a plan to surprise Cendrosky.
Meanwhile, Cendrosky was distraught about missing such a huge milestone in his stepdaughter's life.
"Every time we tried on tuxes — or did some planning — it crossed my mind that I'd be sitting in the crowd, not walking her down the aisle," he told WKYC News.
When the day of the wedding finally arrived, Bachman approached the photographer to make sure she got the special moment on film.
"He told me: I'm going to do something special. Be ready," Delia Blackburn told WKYC.
The procession began, and Bachman led his daughter toward her future husband, but as the pair passed Cendrosky, he stopped, pulled him out of his seat and pointed toward his daughter's other arm.
"He came and grabbed my hand, and said, 'You worked as hard as I have. You'll help us walk our daughter down the aisle,'" Cendrosky said. "I got weak in the knees and lost it. Nothing better in my life. The most impactful moment in my life."
He came and grabbed my hand, and said, 'You worked as hard as I have. You'll help us walk our daughter down the aisle.'
–Todd Cendrosky, stepfather
Blackburn was there to capture the entire emotional exchange and posted the photos to Facebook.
"Congratulations Todd Bachman on showing your kids what true love really is… love for your children," she wrote.
The post has garnered more than 1.2 million likes and has been shared over 560,000 times.
Blackburn said their story resonates with blended families everywhere.
"This didn't happen overnight, but when the smoke cleared, I guess I couldn't have painted to picture any better for my daughter," Bachman said. "He's done nothing but show the utmost respect and treated the kids like his own."
As for the bride, she said her wedding day could not have been more perfect.
"It meant the world to me. I've dreamed of this ever since I knew that my stepdad was going to be my second dad," she told Today. "But I always knew in the back of my head that it wouldn't happen because of the situation in my family and how no one ever got along."
