Bride Who Didn't Have A Father To Walk Her Down The Aisle Gets Heartwarming Surprise When Her Landlord Steps Up
Family isn't always defined by blood.
Rocketclips, Inc. | Shutterstock One of the most emotional traditions in a wedding ceremony is when the bride’s father walks her down the aisle to the altar, where her future husband waits. Sadly, not every bride is lucky enough to have her dad there for such a remarkable moment.
That was the case for Beau Noir. Her wedding was perfect — except for the fact that her father passed before he could walk her down the aisle. In a heartwarming turn of events, the owner of the building where the bride works stepped up as a father figure, making Noir's day picture-perfect.
A landlord stepped up as a father figure to a bride who had no one to walk her down the aisle.
In an Instagram post, newlywed Beau Noir shared, "This is Gill. He owns the building where I work." The bride explained that over the years, she had told him about not having a present father and losing her mother. When she got engaged, Gill approached the couple and asked if he could have the honor of walking her down the aisle.
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"In that moment," she wrote, "I felt something I’ve never felt before in a fatherly way. A man truly stepping up for me in the most honorable way." She shared how Gill’s gesture on such a meaningful day meant the world to her and that she’ll be forever grateful.
The story went viral, gathering over 3,000 likes as people praised Gill and shared their own experiences. “This is very beautiful,” one user commented. “No one stepped up to walk me down the aisle when I was married, so I walked myself. This is so nice.” Others wrote with admiration for both the couple and Gill.
Turns out, the landlord played a bigger role in this couple's happily ever after.
According to Today, Gill Pulliam and Noir have known each other since 2019, but the landlord wasn't just a friend to the blushing bride. He was actually partially responsible for the love affair that led to her fairytale wedding.
The day the Noir met her now-husband, Victor Fox, it all happened at the building owned by Pulliam. Noir, a makeup artist, had a photoshoot in the building, and Fox was a colleague of the photographer. The two had an instant connection, and the rest is history. Noir eventually convinced Fox to move her office to Pulliam's building, and the couple started a joint venture as makeup artist and photographer.
Pulliam and Noir became fast friends. He found a confidante in her after his wife passed away, and she found a father figure in him. It was only natural that he asked her if he could have the honor of walking her down the aisle. “We bonded over grief because we had those things in common,” Noir explained.
Noir explained that their relationship has only gotten stronger, and the newlywed couple plans to keep Pulliam in their lives. “He's just so excited. The first day he saw me after the wedding, he grabbed my cheeks like I was a 5-year-old girl — like, ‘I'm so proud of you,’” she told the outlet.
Not having your father to walk you is sadly common.
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The bride’s story is beautiful, and it illustrates that she was able to grow, live a happy life, find a husband, and even have someone walk her down the aisle despite not having her dad there. We can only imagine the bravery, strength, and self-reassurance it took for her to get to that point without such a parent.
Looking at her experience, we have to ask ourselves, “How many women go through this?” On one of the most special days of their lives, how many walk down the aisle without their father by their side? There’s no exact number or study that gives us this specific figure, but we can estimate.
The National Fatherhood Initiative, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, reported that 17.6 million children in the U.S., nearly one in four, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father at home. According to the Kids Count Data Center, 49% of children are girls. So, of those 17.6 million kids without a present dad, roughly 8.6 million are girls.
Next, we consider how many women get married at least once in their lifetime to estimate how many of those women might walk down the aisle someday. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that by age 55, about 90% of women have married at least once. Applying that percentage, we can assume that about 7.7 million of those 8.6 million girls will marry at least once by age 55.
Is this number exact or definitive? No. The number of children without fathers isn’t precisely accurate, marriage rates may fluctuate over time, and not all women get married in a church or have a traditional wedding ceremony. Some may even invite their dads despite difficult relationships.
The real importance in looking at these statistics is understanding that the number of women walking down the aisle without their father could be in the millions. Many children grow up without a dad and won’t have one present at their wedding day. We need more fathers to be present, and when they’re not, we need more people like Gill to step up.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
