This man dreamed to walk each of his seven daughters down the aisle. However, when fate dealt him a horrible blow, he felt his much-cherished dream had faded into the distance—but life’s magic was yet to unfold.
Willie Shelton and his wife had a big family consisting of adopted daughters and children from a previous marriage.
He was heartbroken when he was given the news that the cancer he was suffering from was terminal
Willie’s wife, Cheryl, remembers the one thing Willie always used to say—he wanted to see his girls grow up and have him walk them down the aisle. So, Cheryl and his seven beautiful daughters decided to fulfill his wish as soon as they could. They put together a special wedding ceremony to create some beautiful memories with their father.
His daughters loved him so much, and he was such a giving father. They realized they had to do something to make him feel better.
It was then Cheryl and the girls came up with the idea of having a special wedding ceremony
Willie’s eldest daughter, Emily, was already married, but he couldn’t walk her down the aisle as she had been married at the courthouse.
“We got married at a courthouse so there wasn’t the formality to it where he could actually give me away,” Emily said, in a report by WJW.
The family told Willie that Emily would be renewing her vows and she wanted him to walk her down the aisle
They said the rest of his daughters would stand next to her as bridesmaids.
With some last-minute help from hospice, David’s Bridal, Taylor Elchert Photography, a local hair studio, and other volunteers, the special ceremony began. Willie, a U.S. Army veteran, put on his dress uniform and came to the ceremony.
But when his daughters began walking down the aisle, he got confused.
All of them were in beautiful wedding gowns
It was then that everything became clear to him.
Pastor Wes McElravy performed an emotional ceremony, which helped the father and daughters to create some touching memories together.
Willie was so moved by this that he felt his dream was fulfilled in the best way possible
“I always assumed that my dad would be there to walk me down the aisle and when the possibility was there that he wasn’t going to be able to—this was everything,” said daughter Lindsey
“He was the happiest person, the most giving person, and this was our chance to give him something,” said daughter Jennifer
Sadly, less than two weeks after those special moments, Willie passed away
Such a sweet and caring way to honor their father, and create special memories for them all
Cheryl gifted each of their daughters a special locket.
It contains a picture of them in their wedding dress with Willie by their side
On the back of each locket was the phrase, “A father’s love never ends.”
Watch the video here:
Credit: NTD
