An emotional stepdad couldn’t hold back tears of pride when his stepdaughter asked him to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day along with her biological father.
Mily Fernandez-Gittens, from Orlando, Florida, has a great relationship with her biological father – but due to her family dynamic, she sees herself as having two dads.
Mily, 38, moved to Florida from her native Venezuela 15 years ago, and over the years that followed, her mom, Mirian Gittens, would frequently visit and attend mass at a local Catholic church.
During visits to the church, Mirian met Mily’s stepdad, Jaime Silva, 66, who is originally from Puerto Rico but is now based in Orlando, too.
Jaime and Mirian started dating long distance, before getting married in 2017, which saw Mirian move to the U.S.
Over the years that followed, Jaime vowed to take care of Mily and her sisters, being there as a grandpa for Mily’s two nephews and treating the family as if they were his own.
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For those reasons, Mily said, she started feeling as though she doesn’t have a biological dad and a stepdad, just simply ‘two dads’.
Then, ahead of her wedding day, she made the choice that she would like Jaime to walk her down the aisle along with her father, Fernando Fernandez, 64, who approved of the decision.
On June 16, in Orlando, Mily presented Jaime with a box, inside which was a loving message to ask if he would do Mily the honor of walking her down the aisle with Fernando.
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As soon as everything clicked, an emotional Jamie burst into tears while his stepdaughter gave him a supportive hug.
Mily said: “It was very emotional and heartfelt – I’d never seen him cry so much with happiness.
“Tears were shed and love was felt, all I wanted was to make him as important and special as he had made me feel all these years.
“Ever since he came into our lives, he has taken care of me and my sister as if we are his own; he is the greatest grandpa to my two nephews and the best son-in-law to my grandparents, who also live here and he moved them with him and my mom to take care of them.
“Jaime, or ‘Grampa Jimpy’ as the kids call him, has been a godsend to our lives, and we are so proud of him and love him very much.
“My biological dad has been a great father to me and my siblings all our lives, but Jaime has taken on the role of being a father to me since he started dating my mom.
“Because of that, I wanted him and my dad both to walk me down the aisle on my big day, since I wouldn’t have been where I am today without them both.”