Janae Hauger had always dreamed of sharing the daddy-daughter dance with her father, Steve Price, on her wedding day. Hauger was just weeks away from her wedding when Price was hospitalized with pancreatitis. “We share an incredible bond and we have always dreamt of the day he was able to walk me down the aisle and share a father-daughter dance with me,” said Hauger. “When we were told he couldn’t attend the wedding and walk me down the aisle, I knew I had to at least dance with him.”
Janae was devastated to learn that her father wouldn’t be able to make it to her wedding. She decided that she needed to do everything in her power to include Price in the ceremony. “I really beat myself up about it,” Hauger explained. “It was really difficult for me to accept the fact that he wouldn’t be there. It hurt him a lot. There were a lot of tears between the two of us. He’s tried his hardest to stay strong for me. He kept telling me, ‘I need to get better and you’re getting married no matter what.’”
Ever since his daughter’s engagement, Price had been eagerly awaiting the moment he could walk his daughter down the aisle. He had even renovated the family’s old barn for the ceremony. Luckily, Hauger had a plan. “We decided if Dad couldn’t be at the wedding, we’d take the wedding to Dad… As soon as I knew he wasn’t gonna make it [to the ceremony], I knew I would see him at some point that day,” Hauger explained.
“I wasn’t going to let him not see me. I was going to somehow get down to the hospital without a doubt.” A few hours before the ceremony began, Hauger, her siblings, and her mother made their way to the hospital, where they met a very surprised Price at the hospital’s chapel. It was there that Price shared a very special father-daughter dance with the beautiful bride.
“He bawled his eyes out. He kept telling us how beautiful we looked. He was so happy we were there. He was excited and blessed that we took that time out of our day to come see him,” explained Hauger.
“It was very emotional. We didn’t say much. We just kind of cried and looked at each other the whole time. It meant a lot to me and I know it meant a lot to my dad.” After dancing to Darius Rucker’s “It Won’t Be Like This For Long,” Price wished his daughter well, saying, “You go get married now!” Janae, her mother, and her siblings, left the hospital for the family’s restored barn for the wedding ceremony. Meanwhile, Price watched his daughter say “I do” via FaceTime.
“We all felt at peace that my dad was able to see us,” said Janae. “[The wedding] was amazing. It was absolutely perfect. I would’ve rather he been there. But, given the circumstances, it was absolutely beautiful.”