A groom whose mom wasn’t present on his big day brought wedding guests to tears with a surprise daddy-daughter dance with his 23-month-old daughter instead.
Thomas Harstine, 37, who goes by TJ, said he had a tough childhood, and though he and his mother are in touch, their relationship remains distant.
With his mom not set to attend his big day, friends of TJ knew how sensitive the subject of family might be, given that he would have no parents present.
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But during discussions about traditional elements of weddings – brides dancing with their fathers; grooms dancing with their moms – TJ lit up at the thought of dancing with his daughter, Bowie, who he shares with his now-wife Darby, 28.
TJ adores Bowie, Darby said, and because the pair were only planning a small wedding, friends and family knew just how much the 23-month-old meant to her father.
After Darby’s dance with her father at the Vancouver Club in Vancouver, Canada, TJ and Bowie then made their way to the dance floor.
Guests were completely unaware of what was about to happen, as their itineraries for the day only read “Special Dance” with no additional context.
As TJ moved across the floor carrying Bowie, everyone in attendance lit up at what a special moment they were witnessing.
Darby said: “We had a small wedding, and most of the guests are very close to us, so they know TJ’s story.
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“They know how much he adores Bowie, and I think it hit all of them so hard – in the best way – when our emcee announced that there was a second Daddy-daughter dance, after mine had finished, and TJ and Bowie walked out on to the dance floor together.
“You could see the emotion hit everyone’s faces.
“Everyone was simply so happy for TJ, and you could feel the warmth in the venue.
“For me, I was sort of overwhelmed with emotions.
“Not only did it make me so happy that my husband was able to have that moment with our daughter, but I couldn’t help imagine a fast forward to her wedding day when they repeat that dance to the same song (“The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra) and it was so hard to keep it together; it was honestly just so incredibly special and emotional.
“The comments are all so similar and talking about how sweet it was and how special it will be in 20-plus years when the dance is repeated.
“There were a lot of crying emojis and hearts on social media, so that was nice to see.”