Bride’s father began his wedding toast by reading her childhood book — and they both broke down in tears

A bride breaks down in tears as she sees her father recreate her fondest childhood memory. A video posted by Wayfinder Films (@wayfinderfilmsco on Instagram) captures a beautiful moment from Colleen and Jassa Singh's wedding, when her father takes center stage to deliver a heartfelt wedding toast. With a shaky voice and teary eyes, he read a quote from a book he used to read to Colleen when she was a baby, revealing the timeless bond between a father and his daughter.

Colleen's dad reminded her of how he and her mother used to read books to her. Amongst several, there was this one book by Robert Munsch, called "Love You Forever," that they read to Colleen very frequently. A particular quote, or rather, the lyrics of a lullaby from the books used to be Colleen's favorite thing to hear; her dad used to read it to her quite often because it beautifully explained what he felt for his daughter. "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby, you'll be," her father recited, struggling to hold back his tears. By the end, Colleen was in tears as well, as if flashbacks of her childhood ran through her mind in a split second. "I have said this at every wedding I have ever been to. I hope that everything you wish, hope, and pray for is the least you receive," the father said, making Colleen even more emotional.

The 1986 children’s picture book 'Love You Forever' by Munsch explores the journey of a mother and son, where she used to sing a beautiful lullaby to her newborn every night. As her son grew up, he sometimes behaved badly with her, but the mother continued singing it to him every night. Soon, he moved out of his hometown, and his mom would sing the lullaby whenever she visited him. Slowly, the mother’s health started to deteriorate, and she asked her son to return to her. When he came back, she tried to sing the lullaby but couldn’t because of her poor health. Seeing this, the son cradled his mom in his arms and sang the lullaby to her, altering the final line to "My Mommy you’ll be." The son then returned home and entered a nursery where he sang the same lullaby to his newborn daughter, signifying that the cycle will continue. In the same way, Colleen's dad decided to recite the same lines he used to read to her as a child because he wanted to assure her that no matter what, he would always be there for her, loving her like he did when she was a little girl.

Unconditional parental love is very important for kids, and its absence negatively affects their overall well-being. For instance, when a study surveyed 587 teenagers, they found only 8% had optimal-secure self-esteem, which is strong, stable, and not dependent on others' approval; a whopping 98% of teenagers were found to belong to the category of low and insecure self-esteem. Researchers delved further and found its link to parental love. They found that when parents show love only when their kids meet their expectations, it harms their self-esteem and overall development. Conditional love makes children question their true selves; in fact, they feel they only deserve love if they behave in a certain way. They feel their true self is 'bad' and undeserving of love, which affects their self-worth and ability to create or maintain social bonds. On the other hand, unconditional love helps kids embrace themselves while constantly trying to get better. 

Meanwhile, reacting to the beautiful wedding moment, @mariemorzy shared, "On Mother's Day, our church has a beautiful tradition — the Deacon reads this book, and every year, it's a moment that touches every heart. There's not a dry eye in the room; so, my son, as a little boy (24 years ago), saw how much I liked this story every year and somehow found this book in the library and gifted it to me." Similarly, @pattioirish01 confessed, "I could never read that book without crying!" @kevexhere wrote, "Oh my god, I had a feeling this was it. This book reminds me of the greatest woman in the entire world, my mom!"

You can follow Wayfinder Films (@wayfinderfilmsco) on Instagram for more wedding content.

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