A dad who cherishes a VHS of the day he first met his adopted daughter as a baby burst into tears when the pair recreated the first look on her wedding day.
Taylor Shennett Heintzman, 28, from Orlando, Florida, and dad Robert, 61, share a running joke he was Taylor’s “first buddy,” since he was the first in the family to meet her when she was adopted from China in 1997.
Robert traveled to China alone, as during the adoption process, his wife, Kelly, unexpectedly fell pregnant and gave birth to their daughter, Nicole, two months before the couple was scheduled to fly.
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As a result, Kelly asked Robert to bring a video recorder with him to China so she could feel part of Taylor’s adoption when he returned.
When Robert arrived at the hotel where he was due to meet Taylor, a fellow adoptive parent grabbed his camcorder and was able to capture a clip he and Kelly could never have imagined.
As Taylor was the first baby to arrive, the fellow parent shot a beaming Robert being handed Taylor, who he emotionally held and pressed his head into her chest.
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Over the years that followed, Taylor said she wasn’t completely comfortable with talking about her adoption until high school, during which time her dad was her biggest supporter.
Robert even accepted a job in China so Taylor could experience her biological family’s culture. So, on her wedding day, Taylor knew she wanted to plan a special dad-daughter moment.
Having set up a first-look shoot at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida, Taylor said she was already fighting back tears as she approached her dad to tap him on the shoulder.
Robert, meanwhile, was holding back emotions of his own – as while he was waiting, he remembered the white onesie his daughter had been wearing in the hotel all those years ago, and how that was now a white wedding gown.
As he turned around, Robert immediately let out all his emotions, bursting into floods of tears as soon as he laid eyes on his daughter.
Taylor later shared a video on social media, where she first showed her first look with her dad in China before fading into the emotional footage of her wedding day.
Taylor said: “My dad and I have a very close relationship.
“We joke that he was my first buddy since he was the one who first met me in China and brought me home to our family.
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“I knew I wanted a first look with my dad because I wanted to honor my biggest supporter, as my dad has always supported me, especially when it comes to my adoption.
“I had my sister and mom just off to the side so they could be there.
“I had to keep myself from crying while walking up to him.
“Even before tapping him on the shoulder, I was already crying.
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“He told me that before turning around, he remembered the moment we first met and how I was going from a white onesie to my white wedding gown.
“Hearing him say that inspired me to create the video.
“The reaction has been a mix of comments, ranging from how beautiful our relationship is to others saying how excited they are for the exact moment.
“I also have other adoptees and adoptive parents saying how special these moments are.”
