As humans, we often run away from things that may cause harm or negatively affect our lives. However, life does change instantly when fate has things already planned. For Kait, her life changed when she got the news that her father, with lung and brain cancer, had been confirmed to be stage 4. Kait’s father was the person dearest to her, and seeing his health declining was the worst thing she had to experience in life.
The journey and time spent with Dad after the diagnosis were not very long. At first, it was all about the hospital visits and treatments that ended up showing no improvement, and after no more than five months, he passed away. It was in March 2015, when Kait’s 26th birthday was just around the corner. She wished for his presence throughout, but some things could not be escaped from. Kate stated that her dad was the perfect family man, who kept everyone together and worked selflessly to give them the independence and confidence their children desired. To his partner, he was a loyal man who kept mom smiling throughout his life, and everything changed with his departure.
Thankfully, Kait was a lucky one in love. While her dad was struggling to take his last breath, her boyfriend, now husband, Bennett, took blessings for him so he could marry Kait. The couple had been together for over seven years, which is why her father knew that they looked forward to making it official. Parents want their children to be in good hands at a safe place, and gladly, Kait’s dad had this kind of peace. The couple decided not to delay the wedding and kept their big day as intimate as possible. The day was purely focused on love, and most moments were bittersweet because of Dad’s absence.
Every detail of the event embodied the essence of Kait’s father in unique ways. From his picture placed in the barrel of flowers on the ceremony day to Kait carrying his favourite flowers, roses, on her big day, she wanted bits of what her dad would love for her everywhere. However, the roses were not just the ordinary ones picked from a random flower shop, but were the flowers from his funeral. Drying them and turning them into petal confetti had to be done with great care and effort, but was successful.
Her brother added to her special day by gifting Kait with earrings and a note from his dad. The night stated that her brother gave her earrings to make her shine brighter than she already did. The gift was from Dad’s behalf, and it was a beautiful way to fill up the space! At the venue, a seat was specially reserved with the name of Kait’s dad, and every bouquet on the day had charms and boutonnieres that were a memory of when dad was present. Kait and her brother also danced on the wedding day to honor their lovely dad.
The moment when Kait needed her dad the most and felt his presence strongly was when she walked back down the aisle with the love of her life, Benett. It was the most potent moment, not just because it was the most cherished moment of her life, but also because the couple was showered with dried rose petals from his funeral. Kait could not explain how she felt then and said, “It was hard.”
The photographer captured lovely photographs of the couple in which the sunlight directly hit them. It was her father’s way of telling her how present he was, just like he had always promised her. The day was when emotions overflowed, but the connection and love were felt throughout.
