Bride cancels wedding ceremony to marry in the presence of her terminally ill dad: 'It was surreal'

A wedding is not just about the couple celebrating their union. It is also about sharing this day with their loved ones, friends and family. Especially, for a daughter, having her father at her wedding is a special memory. So, when a Long Island woman Elisabeth Linde realized that her father couldn't be in her wedding ceremony, she simply brought the ceremony to him, as per the New York Post. While her big day was planned for June 4, 2023, Linde canceled her wedding and tied the knot in her dad's presence at Manhattan’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on June 3, 2023.

Earlier this April, Linde shared on TikTok the heartwarming moment when she walked down the aisle in a hospital hallway and it has gained over 67 million views so far. Having been diagnosed with mesothelioma right before his daughter's wedding, the 56-year-old Wall Street executive, Stuart Linde was counting his days in the hospital. "The saddest and the happiest day of my life," the bride mentioned in the caption. With Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years," playing in the background, the video shows Linde walking towards her dad's hospital room in her beautiful white dress. Healthcare workers in the hospital were lined up on both sides watching this one-of-a-kind wedding ceremony.  

Linde shared a follow-up video to clarify why this wedding was so emotional for her. As the bride entered the hospital room, the groom and her son were waiting, all suited up, beside her father's bed. The moment turned out to be so touching as Linde leaned in and kissed her father before starting her new life. On receiving her parents' blessings, the bride went on to have her wedding right there in that hospital room next to her bedridden dad. During the ceremony, Linde was holding her father's hand and this video moved thousands on the internet. Linde's heartfelt wedding ceremony was viewed over 10.5 million times.

"It doesn’t matter where you get married. It’s the people around you that matter. Beautiful memories for you to have your dad there. You gave him his moment too," said @tamjam683. "Wow! This was so beautiful and you gave your dad the best gift ever," noted @rosa.rivera70. "How incredibly selfless of you and your husband. You’re good people," lauded @celes4217.

Having her dad by her side during her wedding meant more to Linde than canceling the ceremony she dreamed of. "It was surreal," she said. "My dad was one of my biggest supporters. He had to be there." Turns out, Linde's parents Stuart and Eileen were great pillars of support in helping her and her husband Devin overcome addiction. "My dad helped us get clean and stay clean. He and my mom took us in and he motivated me to go back to nursing school and pursue my nurse practitioner certification,” she added. Her parents ensured that Linde and her son had a good life.

"My dad has three daughters but he always wanted a son to carry on our last name. So, on June 4, we asked his permission to take the last name ‘Linde’ so that our son could be the person to do that," Linde told the news channel. The daughter wanted to honor her dad in the best way possible during his final days. "We didn’t lose anything from having it at the hospital. We just gained this great family memory," she pointed out. Two days after Linde's hospital wedding, Stuart passed away on June 5, 2023.

You can follow Elisabeth Linde (@elisabeth3744) on TikTok for more family content.