Bride who lost her father shares magical core memory with 'best friend' mom at wedding reception

A bride's first dance at her wedding where the father leads the dance and stops midway to "give" his daughter away to her husband has been a longstanding part of the Western wedding culture. But when it came to having her first dance, photographer Amanda Libby was accompanied by her mom instead of her dad. A viral video captured by destination wedding photographer duo @happycamperfilms shows Libby having a blast with her mom on her big day.

The duo busted some cool moves to Rachel Platten's track called "Stand by You" as the wedding guests bore witness to the joyful moment. The text overlays on the video give context behind the absence of Libby's father on her wedding day and why her mother decided to step in. While the mother-daughter duo has long been best friends, Libby tragically lost her father three years before her wedding, the text revealed.

As their energetic dance sequence continued, it was also mentioned that everyone "bawled like a baby." The video was also circulated on various social media sites and on TikTok by @trisha18553 where the video received plenty of wholesome comments. Many moms who came across the video of Libby and her mother might have already started making plans about doing the same with their daughters on their wedding days in the future.

@shepreaches2 gushed, "I don’t have this mom but I became this mom. So there are three girls and a boy that do have this mom! My greatest accomplishment." @sammimiller3 complimented, "I had this mom. She passed away nine years ago and now I’m sobbing. This is beautiful. Also, the bride's hair color is flawless." @alimelius wrote, "I wanted too badly to do this with my mom for my wedding. Unfortunately, she passed before we even got engaged. Such a special memory."

@katvslife143 commented, "My stepdaughter's mother went to heaven three years ago... I would have been by her side even if she was here but it hits differently now." @screyoundyou93 added, "My dad couldn't make it to my wedding. My mama walked me down the aisle. I'll cherish her for the rest of my life and hers!" Many fathers are not fortunate enough to be a part of their daughter's first dance at her wedding and some simply don't want to be a part of the magical moment.

Just like Libby, a woman named Jess Anastasi (@mrsanastasi_ on TikTok) was looking forward to a father-daughter dance with her dad at her wedding and was disappointed when he refused to be a part of it. But she was saved from heartbreak when her father-in-law stepped in "without any second thought" and they had their first dance as he gently led the way. "Little did I know that my dad would refuse to dance with me. I waited my whole life and was so excited to dance with my dad on my wedding day. I was so heartbroken," Anastasi explained through text overlays on her video.

While replying to some comments, Anastasi explained the events that led up to her father refusing to dance with her. "My dad showed up five minutes before I hopped in the limo, he then complained about the food and the staff, then my whole side left at 8:45 p.m. My dad caused a lot of drama in the week before the wedding and this just broke me. I don't talk to or see my side anymore. I'm so lucky to have my father-in-law. He makes me feel more loved than my own dad," she concluded.