A dad grabbed the hand of his daughter’s stepdad and pulled him up on her wedding day – so they could BOTH walk her down the aisle.
Bride Amy Walkinshaw, 31, knew as soon as she got engaged to Ryan Walkinshaw, 31, that she wanted both men to be involved in giving her away.
Amy was raised by both dad, Andy Collins, 58, a train driver, and her stepdad, Jeff Bennett, 64, a project manager – who has been in her life for the past two decades.
She wanted to honour both father figures at their wedding[ on Saturday June 24, 2023] at Prested Hall, Colchester, Essex.
So, she asked dad Andy to go and surprise Jeff by grabbing him from the audience to walk down with himself and Amy.
Amy, a student studying psychodynamic practice at University of Essex, said: “Jeff has been in my life for 20 years, he is basically a second dad to me.
“I always imagined if I got married I’d ask him to walk me down the aisle as well as my dad.
“Jeff didn’t know it was coming either – you can tell in the video the shock on Jeff’s face, I knew how much it meant to him.
“The main thing come out of it is to show there doesn’t have to be animosity.
“You can ask a step-parent without upsetting your biological dad too.”
Amy said Jeff and Andy didn’t know each other too well – as they live a distance apart.
But Andy “agreed straight away” when she asked if Jeff could walk her down the aisle as well, she said.
On the day, Amy’s younger half-sister, Macenzie Collins, 23, watched the emotional moment.
Macenzie, a meetings and events assistant, said: “Me and my sister have lived 150 miles from each other since I was born so we don’t see each other a lot.
“So, it was really nice to share that moment with each other.
“I don’t know Jeff that well either, but that just made more special that we all got to be there together as a blended family.”
Amy added: “I asked my dad to walk me down the aisle straight away, because he’s my dad.
“But Jeff is such a big part of my life too and I couldn’t imagine not doing it with him.”
