In addition to saying “I do” to her husband, this bride went above and beyond to show her new stepson how much she cares.
Vanessa Lynch, a Minnesota nurse, planned a special surprise for husband Craig Lynch and his 9-year-old son Henry at theirweddingearlier this month, according to SWNS.
“At first I wasn’t going to do it, because I didn’t want Henry to feel uncomfortable in front of everyone,” Vanessa, 30, explained. “But after some time thinking it over, I felt like something would have felt left out if I did not say a little something to Henry.”
“I wanted [Craig] to know how much my relationship with Henry meant to me,” she continued, adding that she also wanted Henry “to know that I wasn’t just going to be a woman his dad was married to.”
Vanessa Lynch, Craig Lynch and son Henry.SWNS
Although Vanessa said she was “nervous” about going through with her plan, on their big day, it just “felt right.”
“So when I was done with Craig’s vows, I motioned for Craig to scoot over so I could see Henry,” she said of the moment, which was captured in the video above. “That’s when the tears started flowing, when I looked at Henry in that moment.”
Vanessa Lynch and stepson Henry.SWNS
In her heartwarming vows to her stepson, Vanessa promised to love and support him for the rest of her life.
“Henry, I know I wasn’t there the day you came into the world,” she said. “I wasn’t there for your first steps or your first words, but I promise I will be there for many more of your firsts.”
“I promise to love you as if you were my own, and lastly I promise I will be the best wife for your dad, and I promise to be the best step mom I can be for you,” she added.
Afterwards, Henry immediately rushed to give her a hug.
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Vanessa and her husband met while they were both students at Augsburg College in Minneapolis — while she was dating his roommate.
As for being introduced to Henry, Vanessa recalled that their first meeting took place a few months after her relationship with Craig began.
“I come from a blended family, so me deciding to say vows to Henry really stemmed from my experience as a child — how stepparents should treat stepchildren as though they were their own children,” she said.
“Just because you don’t share blood with someone, does not mean you cannot be a family,” she added. “It all comes from love you hold for a person and what you commit to one another.”
source: people.com
