Most women dream of getting married to the love of their life and having their father walk them down the aisle. However, only the luckiest ones get to experience this joy.
William “Willie” Shelton, a U.S. Army veteran and a father of seven daughters, always hoped to walk his girls down the aisle on their most special day. Sadly, after he was diagnosed with brain cancer and was only given weeks to live, this dream of his became very distant, almost impossible to be fulfilled.
His wife Cheryl was devastated. The thought of losing her husband broke her heart, but there was still one thing she could do for him. As one of their daughters, Emily Flinn, got married at a courthouse before, Cheryl decided to organize a wedding ceremony in the family’s backyard. However, not only Emily, but the rest of Willie’s daughters were dressed in wedding gowns, and he got to walk each and every one of them down the aisle.
He won’t be there on the day they marry, but at least they will have one special memory of their dad to hold and to cherish.
The ceremony was organized in just three days time with the help of many kindhearted individuals, including David’s Bridal, Taylor Elchert Photography, and a hair studio, as well as local businesses and the LifeCare Hospice.
“We had this idea we put together in three days. We got all the wedding gowns for the girls and hospice helped us out a great deal with some of the planning,” Cheryl told Fox 8 News Cleveland.
“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 Lindsey Shelton, one of Willie’s daughters.
Unfortunately, Willie passed away two weeks after the touching ceremony took place. He was 44.
You can take a look at the beautiful event in the video below. Rest in peace Willie.