A grandfather’s devotion to decorating his granddaughter’s wedding with flowers from his garden has gone viral leaving viewers “in tears.”
TikToker Cassie Woodard posted a poignant video on 4 October, exposing the bunches of long-stemmed red flowers her 94-year-old relative had grown in his front yard for over 40 years. “My grandpa (94) grew and saved all the flowers for my wedding. They were perfect,” Ms Woodard’s on-screen caption read as she panned the surrounding greenery.
Speaking to Insider, Ms Woodard opened up about the heartfelt sentiment and what it meant to her. The self-proclaimed “horse girl” grew up in Southern Indiana, spending most of her free time outside. When it came time to plan her wedding, Woodard wanted to recreate the intimate nature of her home in a simplistic way.
“I wanted it really simple; we even did the food. I did all the flowers myself,” she told the outlet. Ms Woodard had no intention of tapping a florist for her big day, which took place on 30 September. The plan had always been to use her grandfather’s cockscomb flowers that she estimated to have been growing for 40 years. “We’ve had them ever since I could remember,” she noted
In her video, the barrel racer featured her family member cutting through the patches of flowers. The footage has been viewed over 5.9 million times since it was originally shared on the platform.
Not only did her grandfather keep the patches of flowers intact, he wouldn’t let anyone touch them until Ms Woodard had her chance. The excited bride travelled to his house the week before her wedding to get her pickings.
“We just had breakfast and took our time and cut all the flowers together,” she remarked. “I wanted to remember him and the flower patch and that morning together, because I knew it was going to be super special to me.”
Emotional viewers herded Ms Woodard’s comments section on TikTok, complimenting her sweet tribute and connection to her grandfather.
One kind TikTok user wrote: “Instant tears. How beautiful and wonderful. What a gift, I hope he was able to see you carry them!”
“This is one of the best things I’ve seen,” an excited fan said, while another added: “That right there is something truly special.”
Meanwhile, a familiar follower admitted: “I have driven by your grandpa’s house ever since I was a kid. He always made me smile when I saw him working on his yard. He is adorable!!”
Channeling her passion for riding, the original poster and her now husband Tyler Woodard wanted to have a horse show at their reception. The happy couple met three years ago at the Indiana State Championship Horse Show barrel race competition, so the idea suited them well.
“It was important to me that it didn’t get too out of hand, both price-wise and stress-wise,” Woodard told Insider. “A lot of people thought it was a crazy idea.”
All guests at the ceremony were invited to the reception afterwards, but even individuals who weren’t in attendance for their vows could revel in the horse show too.
“You didn’t have to be invited. It was just open to anybody to see it and support us,” she remarked.
The Independent has reached out to Ms Woodard for a comment.
