Mary Bourne Roberts grew up dancing with her father and there was nothing in the world that could stop him from dancing with his daughter on her big day.
Mary Bourne Roberts said: “Me and my dad have always danced together.”
When Mary was little, she often danced around the kitchen with her father Jim to the hit song, “I Hope You Dance”.
The song talks about taking chances and never giving up but it’s more important that the song reminds people that you can ‘sit it out or dance.’
The words to the song meant a lot to Mary and her father. Both made a promise that they would play it at her wedding one day during the father-daughter dance.
Mary pursued a career in dance after attending the University of Alabama. She ended up receiving a job at a dance academy. There was so much to look forward to including her wedding to her fiance, James.
When hearing that her father had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable brain ca.n.cer, she moved closer to home so she could be there for him.
When the wedding date finally arrived, Mary’s father had just entered Hospice care. The happy couple moved up their wedding date so her father could be present.
Mary told: “We were ready to get married but especially with that looming we thought we shouldn’t waste our time.”
Because of not wanting to make his daugher disappointed, Jim made good on his promise. This man appeared at the daughter’s wedding in a wheelchair and held her hand while dancing to their song “I Hope You Dance,”.
Mary held her father’s hand while wheeling him around the dancefloor and leanding down to kiss his cheek several times.
The dance was recorded by their photographer as teary-eyed guests looked on.
Sadly, Jim said good bye to her forever less than two weeks after the wedding.
The memory of her father being able to attend her wedding and dance to their favorite song will certainly stay with Mary for many years to come.
Mary and her husband were invited to appear on The Ellen Show after the video of the father-daughter dance went viral online.
Mary told: “We didn’t even hire a videographer, my photographer just switched to the video mode and she uploaded it I think when we were on our honeymoon…we came home and were like, ‘what happened!’”
At that time, this video had 12,000 views and the couple was shocked. Today, their story has been shared millions of times.
When Ellen asked James the way he was able to handle the emotional father-daughter dance he said it wasn’t easy.
James told: “I am very emotional all the time and I knew during the wedding…I was trying to show her that I was ok because I didn’t want to start a downhill spiral. Well, I did a really good job all the way until that dance started and I literally couldn’t see anybody but them two and to this day its the most happy, beautiful memory.”
Source: shareably.net, Ellenshow
