\nFor millions of people, their wedding is the biggest day of their life. Just imagine: you\u2019ve found the love of your life and want nothing more than to spend the rest of your days with them, so getting married is the best way forward. It\u2019s your chance to stand in front of all the people that mean the world to you, and declare your love to the person you care so much for. Sure, it\u2019s stressful, but would a wedding be worth it if you weren\u2019t tearing your hair out through all the preparation? No matter how crazy you go trying to plan the big day, things usually all come together when you need them to. However, there are some things that no amount of preparation can fix.
\nThe one thing this bride wanted most on her wedding day was to have her father by her side. However, after he tragically passed away in the line of duty, no amount of wishing could make her dream come true. However, while she couldn\u2019t have her father there, his former colleagues gave her the next best thing when they showed up with a surprise. This wasn\u2019t the first dance that she\u2019d envisioned for her special day, but she wouldn\u2019t have had things any other way. Her father might be gone, but now he\u2019ll never be forgotten.<\/p>\n

[post_page_title]Following tradition[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough we enjoy doing things our way, many people also enjoy sticking to tradition when it comes to their wedding. From wearing white to the whole “something old, something new\u2026” deal, there\u2019s a lot of traditions that we try to commit to when getting married. However, some of these aren\u2019t always possible to do, especially if they require the presence of someone who\u2019s no longer around. Mikayla Wroten would have loved to have her father walk her down the aisle on her big day, but that sadly wasn\u2019t possible. When it came to her first dance, his absence had never felt stronger. Fortunately, his friends stepped in to show her she could still have fun without him there.
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\n[post_page_title]Dedicated to the force[\/post_page_title]
\nBefore he passed away, David Poling was a dedicated member of the police force. Having already served as a marine, David later became a probation officer for the Gallipolis Police Department when he wanted to be closer to his family. The job was perfect for Poling, because it was one that he\u2019d wanted to do for years. He was incredibly dedicated to his work and always put in 110% when he could, something that didn\u2019t escape the attention of his colleagues. They\u2019d never worked alongside someone so passionate before, and his enjoyment of the job rubbed off on those around him. However, it wasn\u2019t much longer before tragedy was set to strike.
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\n[post_page_title]Catching criminals[\/post_page_title]
\nIt was on a day in May 2007 that the world turned upside down for Poling\u2019s family. The officer was tasked with helping capture Joseph Harris, a man wanted in connection with several crimes. The department had established a traffic stop from which Harris attempted to flee, which forced Poling to take action. With the criminal trying to get away, he had no choice but to follow suit and hope he would catch up to him. That was the biggest mistake he\u2019d ever made.
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\n[post_page_title]A heated chase[\/post_page_title]
\nAs Harris fled from the scene, Poling did his best to follow him through town. Although he had the criminal in his sights, he was unable to catch up to him in time. When Harris turned down towards the river, the officer thought he\u2019d finally be able to catch him. However, he was taken by surprise when instead of hitting a dead end, the criminal decided to leap into the water. At this level, it would be difficult to stay afloat, but Harris felt he had no choice.
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\n[post_page_title]Losing his life[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough he knew the dangers that the water posed, Poling had come too far to let the criminal escape his grasp now. He followed Harris into the water and continued the chase, although he only made it halfway before disaster struck. As the criminal fought his way to the other side, Poling found himself struggling against the power of the river. Eventually, it proved to be too much for him and, overcome by its strength, he was submerged in the water. Any rescue attempts would be fruitless – he was gone.
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\n[post_page_title]Too little, too late[\/post_page_title]
\nBy the time he was brought back to shore, it was clear that Poling had lost his life out in the water. A state trooper and city officer did what they could to save him, but it was already too late. The men were naturally devastated by the loss, especially given that everything had been fine just a few hours earlier. What was even more upsetting was that the man who Poling had been chasing had made it to safety on the other side of the river.
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\n[post_page_title]Facing justice[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile Harris might not have succumbed to the same fate as Poling, he didn\u2019t escape unscathed. Just a few hours after fleeing from the police, he was caught and arrested on Gallipolis Island. Harris was eventually convicted for involuntary manslaughter, a crime that came with a four-year sentence in jail. Although it wouldn\u2019t bring David back, at least the criminal would suffer for his loss. Unfortunately, that wasn\u2019t going to bring much relief to Poling\u2019s family who would be heartbroken by the passing of their father and husband.
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\n[post_page_title]Breaking the news[\/post_page_title]
\nDavid\u2019s wife Michelle was informed of her husband\u2019s passing shortly after he drowned, which left her with the hard job of breaking the news to her children. At the time, Mikayla was only nine, while her brother was just four. Neither was prepared for what their mother was about to tell them, because they couldn\u2019t comprehend exactly what it meant. They\u2019d seen their father in the morning, so why wasn\u2019t he coming home again? In time they\u2019d understand their loss, but for now, it was too complicated to accept.
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\n[post_page_title]Accepting his loss[\/post_page_title]
\nMikayla herself admitted that it took several weeks for her to get her head around her father\u2019s passing. She said that when her mother first informed her of his death, she didn\u2019t believe what she was told. \u201cHe\u2019s just gone for the night,\u201d is what Mikayla thought at first, although she eventually accepted that he really wasn\u2019t coming back. Understandably, when she had that moment of realization, she struggled to deal with the grief that overwhelmed her. It was a good few years before she managed to cope without him.
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\n[post_page_title]Moving on[\/post_page_title]
\nMikayla never got over her father\u2019s passing, but she did find a way to live life without him. She still treasured his memory, but she dealt with his absence in a way that was much better for her mental health. Eventually, her mother remarried, and she learned to accept her stepdad as a new father figure in her life, although he could never replace David. Michelle wasn\u2019t the only one walking down the aisle, though. A decade after her father passed away, Mikayla was ready to take the plunge herself.
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\n[post_page_title]Leaving a hole[\/post_page_title]
\nMikayla and Dakota decided to get married on 14 October 2017. The young woman was ready to settle down with her new man and hopefully, eventually start a family of her own. However, with her big day fast approaching, Mikayla couldn\u2019t stop thinking about her father. He was supposed to walk her down the aisle and give his blessing for Dakota to marry her, but that was never going to happen. She didn\u2019t want his absence to ruin her big day, but she missed him so much.
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\n[post_page_title]Holding him close[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough it wasn\u2019t possible for her father to physically be there with her on her big day, Mikayla could still treasure his memory at the wedding. She decided to do that with the bouquet of flowers that she carried down the aisle. Attached to the bouquet was a picture of her and her father when she was a child, alongside the words \u201cWalk with me today Daddy.\u201d He might not have been there to hold her hand, but with that bouquet, she could feel his spirit there by her side.
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\n[post_page_title]Leaving him a seat[\/post_page_title]
\nThat wasn\u2019t the only way she honored him at the wedding. Mikayla made sure to leave a seat for him at the front, so the other guests didn’t forget his presence. On the chair were her father\u2019s boots which were filled with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, while his marine photo sat on the floor. It was a small but meaningful memorial to the man she wanted to see her get married more than anything. It gave the wedding an added touch that made it extra special for Mikayla.
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\n[post_page_title]Doing his duty[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile it was her father that she most wanted to walk her down the aisle, Mikayla didn\u2019t have that option. However, her stepfather Paul was more than willing to take up the position, even if he did have some big shoes to fill. Mikayla appreciated the gesture, and knowing how happy Paul has made her mother, she was honored to have him by her side. That didn\u2019t stop her thinking about her father the whole time, though, which is why some of his friends decided to do something monumental.
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\n[post_page_title]Easing her pain[\/post_page_title]
\nMany of her father\u2019s closest friends were invited to Mikayla\u2019s wedding because they had always shared a good relationship. Losing David had been tough on all of them, so they understood the pain Mikayla felt being without her father. Knowing how much she yearned for David to be at her wedding, the officers excused themselves from the ceremony to do something to help with the pain. When they returned, the bride was completely lost for words and became an emotional wreck, but it was for the greatest reason.
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\n[post_page_title]Her first dance[\/post_page_title]
\nThe officers had left the ceremony so they could change into their police uniforms and surprise Mikayla. They knew that she would have wanted to have her first dance with her father, but that wasn\u2019t going to be possible. So, in his absence, the officers decided that they would all collectively take his place and dance with her. The bride hadn\u2019t expected this at all, and when she saw the men all walk in dressed in their uniforms, she couldn\u2019t stop herself from breaking down. The emotions were overwhelming.
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\n[post_page_title]Emotional overload[\/post_page_title]
\nOne by one, the officers danced with Mikayla to the song \u201cI Loved Her First\u201d by Heartland. The bride struggled to hold back the tears as they held her close and danced along to the song. By the time the song neared the end, there was only one man left for her to dance with – the sheriff. Being her father\u2019s closest friend, the moment was poignant, but it seemed right to finish off the special dance with him. Although she was an emotional wreck, she was also incredibly happy.
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\n[post_page_title]Treasuring his memory[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile the dance itself was special, it was made even more so by the uniforms that all of the men wore. The officers declared that they\u2019d done it as a way to treasure David, because it symbolized a part of him that they got to see every day. Mikayla also admitted that it was the uniforms that really got to her, because of how much they reminded her of her father. Even though he wasn\u2019t physically with her at her wedding, everything about that day helped her feel David\u2019s presence.
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\n[post_page_title]Doing it for her[\/post_page_title]
\nAll of David\u2019s friends felt they owed it to Mikayla to make her wedding that much more special. They said it was important for them to do this for her, because it\u2019s what their friend would have wanted. They were all incredibly close, both in and out of work, and they\u2019d seen the hardships that Mikayla had faced without her father around. They know they could easily be in David\u2019s position and how much that would break their families, so they\u2019d want someone to do the same for their children.
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\n[post_page_title]Dream wedding[\/post_page_title]
\nIn the build-up to her wedding, Mikayla had been excited to marry Dakota, but she\u2019d still been struggling with her father\u2019s absence. However, thanks to the kind hearts of David\u2019s closest friends, her big day became more special than she\u2019d have ever imagined. This was the next best thing to having her father right there with her. Now, she\u2019ll always have something positive to look back on for years to come. She might be starting a new life with her husband, but she\u2019ll never forget her father and her new, cop family.
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For millions of people, their wedding is the biggest day of their life. Just imagine: you\u2019ve found the love of your life and want nothing more than to spend the rest of your days with them, so getting married is the best way forward. It\u2019s your chance to stand in front of all the people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":57392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mustreads"],"yoast_head":"\n