When she was little, Elizabeth Linde from New York never dreamed, like other little girls, of a fairytale wedding with a carriage and a wedding dress.
What she did know, however, was that she would want her beloved father by her side when the time came to unite her life with the man of her choice.
So when Stewart's father was rushed to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, just days before her planned wedding on June 4, 2023, the decision was a one-way street for her: She canceled all the reservations she had made for the ceremony and got married in her father's hospital room on June 3 .
Stewart Linde, 56, died two days later and his daughter says today she couldn't imagine her wedding day without the man she literally considers her savior after helping her kick drugs.
A few months after losing her father, the 31-year-old posted videos of the emotional ceremony on her TikTok account. Footage from the hospital went viral, garnering tens of millions of views in recent days.
Speaking to the New York Post, Elizabeth described her wedding experience as "surreal".
"I was holding my father's hands. I told him how much I love him and thanked him for what he had done for me and my husband."
According to the 31-year-old, her parents were the people who helped her and her drug addict husband start a new life and stay "clean".
“They took us home, encouraged me to study nursing and get my certificate. My father always made sure that my son had a good life", explains Linde excitedly for the newspaper .
The day before her father died, she and her husband Devin made another gesture to show their gratitude to the 56-year-old. "My father had three daughters and always wanted a son to keep the family name alive.
So on June 4, we asked for his permission to take the surname 'Linde' so that my son could take on this role."
Although a hospital setting is certainly not ideal for a romantic wedding, Linde believes today that things went exactly as they were supposed to. "It was a special and beautiful way to honor my dad," he told the newspaper.