Man explains why his 11-year-old daughter wore a wedding dress at her parents' vow renewal

A bride might want all of the attention to be on her on her wedding day. However, a couple, Joel and Sarah Conder—who goes on TikTok by @dadvgirls—had a big reason to have their 11-year-old daughter wear a wedding dress as they renewed their vows. The reason behind the gesture is quite moving. The daughter, Sophia, suffers from disabilities that are likely to shorten her lifespan. She might not make it beyond her teen years, so the father wanted this opportunity to walk her down the aisle.

The couple celebrated their big day with all five of their daughters, who walked down the aisle with their parents. However, it was the most special for their middle daughter, Sophia. The couple was unsure whether she would go along with it or not. The dad explained that his daughter switches between being confident and excited to very anxious. So, Joel decided to take her wedding dress shopping to let her pick out the dress she liked and hopefully get convinced to walk down the aisle. "I took [Sophie] with me to the wedding dress shop when I had to have my final fitting," the mom Sarah shared in a YouTube video. She directed her towards several outfits, including flower girl dresses.

Among everything, a wedding dress caught Sophie's eyes and she said yes to the dress, a decision her parents were super supportive about. "Whatever she wants to wear, whether that's fancy dress, her own clothes. I want her to be comfortable. I want her to be happy," the emotional mom remarked. "Although we obviously have big hopes and dreams for her, we don't know if this could be the only time she walks down the aisle," the dad admitted. "For us, it's really special to know that whatever happens in her life, she at least got to walk down the aisle in a wedding dress. Every girl deserves to be able to do that," a grateful Joel added.

The parents were happy and overwhelmed to have this opportunity with their daughter, regardless of her future. As the family shopped for dresses, the little girl looked excited to try on the wedding dress. As she tried it on, she did little twirls and the parents voiced out how absolutely gorgeous she looked. The mom continued that the daughter liked everything about the dress, including the lace and glitter. As per the girls' request, they even added a big beautiful bow to the dress. The girl and the parents were guessing how their relatives would react after seeing the girl in the stunning dress.

@itsemxoxo commented on the YouTube video, "Please don't ever feel bad for talking about Sophie's future and what she may or may not achieve! The fact you're accommodating to her every need, whilst thinking about the future, is everything she could ever ask for. The future for anybody is scary, but for SEN kiddos, it can be a lot scarier, so the fact you're always living in the now with Sophie and giving her the best life is amazing. She's so happy and loved. You're both great parents."

@courtney8351 wrote, "Absolutely sobbing. Bless her little heart. Her confidence growth over the years has truly been so beautiful to watch. She looks absolutely stunning in that dress! Love ya, Soph." @asinahs5396 remarked, "The fact Sarah is letting Sophie choose her own dress is so sweet and shows how much of a caring mom she is letting Sophie do what makes her happy." @isabelleturner3861 shared, "Sophie looked so happy and gorgeous. She deserved to say yes to that dress."

 You can follow Joel and Sarah Conder (@dadvgirls) on TikTok and YouTube for more lifestyle content.

This article originally appeared 4 months ago.