Father of Bride Makes Amazing Gesture You Won't Forget

Father of the bride makes loving gesture

Divorce and separation are delicate and tricky propositions, especially when there are children involved. Even when things go relatively smoothly and without rancor, it's never easy to divide households - and we're not just talking about toasters. People are people, as Depeche Mode told us, and people bring baggage and feelings and sometimes not-so-stellar behaviour to their dealings with one another. And the complexities don't end when kids are past the age of shared weekends and summer custody arrangements, either. One day those children will be married and maybe have children of their own, and by all accounts it's likely there are years of visits and shared time ahead for parents (and soon grandparents!) at things like birthdays and holidays.

Weddings can be especially difficult. Trying to figure out the table seating arrangements for my twice-divorced family at my wedding was akin to planning a World Leader's Summit, and with only half the riot police available.

It's tradition in many families and cultures for a father to walk his daughter down the aisle to her future partner, but what about in situations of divorce and step families? Who gets the honour? Weddings are a stress breeding ground and these questions almost always arise. But instead of letting it cast a pall over an otherwise special day, one father of the bride created the best possible outcome for the situation.

These beautiful images of selflessness were captured by photographer Delia D. Blackburn at a recent Ohio ceremony:

Grab tissues... because you will need it as you look through these pictures. Todd Bachman, father of the bride, brought...
Posted by Delia D Blackburn Photography on Sunday, September 27, 2015

That's Todd Bachmann, father of the bride, stopping the ceremony briefly to make an impromptu and unplanned pick up of his daughter's step father, the man who helped raise her. Bachman brought him from his seat to the altar to stand side by side as they give the new couple their joint blessing.

This demonstration of kindness and inclusion Bachmann showed his daughter, her step-father, their wedding guests, divorced couples everywhere - and the world itself - was a grand gesture going beyond the borders of these beautiful prints; it is a reminder that the heart does not have a "fill to" level, but rather expands to allow all the beauty and joy one can imagine.