This "Flower Grandpa" Stole the Show at His Granddaughter's Wedding
There are all kinds of ways to incorporate your grandparents into your wedding beyond the obvious, but perhaps no idea has warmed our hearts more than this "flower grandpa."
Jen Briskin, 29, knew she wanted to go above and beyond when it came to including her grandfather Stanley, 85, in her wedding party. "The idea of having him be a 'flower girl' started out as a joke, and I teased him that I was going to have him wear a tutu and patent leather shoes like a typical flower girl," she said. "He liked to joke that this would make him 'go viral!' My whole family thought that I was crazy but I couldn't let it go. I wanted our wedding to be memorable and different without being cheesy and I thought that this would be the perfect addition to our ceremony."
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When Jen finally decided to ask Gramps if he would do her the honor at her Atlanta nuptials, she knew he would be thrilled. To pop the question, she bought him a handkerchief with the question embroidered on it.
Thought Stanley was excited, he was also hesitant. "We convinced him that if two-year-olds can be flower girls, he could do it, too!" Jen said. "He insisted on practicing before the ceremony so a few weeks before the wedding, my sister bought a bucket and fake leaves and they practiced by having him throw the leaves on the driveway."
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Jen wanted to keep her "flower grandpa" a secret from all her guests, so Stanley was the last person to walk down the aisle before Jen and her parents. "As soon as he walked out, I heard constant laughter," she said. "He still wasn't sure what he was supposed to do and instead of throwing the petals down the aisle, he started throwing them on our guests. It felt like our style to have all of our guests laughing right before we started our life as husband and wife."
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Now that her wedding is over, Jen is so grateful to have had her grandfather play such an important role. "We walk around a nearby park every Sunday and he loves talking about topics such as his days as a popular DJ in Savannah, Georgia, and loves to ask me questions about his new iPhone," she said. "I feel very lucky to have a grandfather who, at 85, is still young at heart and willing to participate in my crazy ideas! I'm excited that I have pictures and videos to show my children and grandchildren when I recount stories about my amazing grandfather."
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