Father of the bride stops wedding — then gets her stepdad to walk her down the aisle with him

While weddings are meant to focus on the two people vowing to love and protect each other in sickness and in health, they also bring all of their loved ones together. This wedding ceremony had a touching twist that warmed the hearts of millions of people. All it took was an unexpected gesture from one very important family member on the bride's side.

Brittany Peck was more than ready to tie the knot with the love of her life, reported Today. As was tradition, Todd Bachman, her father, took her hand as they strolled down the aisle together. But then, Bachman surprised everyone when he dropped his daughter's hand, ran to the front row and grabbed the hands of his daughter's stepdad, Todd Cendrosky.

"All of a sudden, at the last second, he turned his head to me and grabbed my hand. He said, 'Hey, come with me. You've had just as big of a part in raising this child. It’s time you and me walk our daughter down the aisle together,'" Cendrosky told Today.

Overwhelmed by this gesture, Cendrosky quickly took his stepdaughter's hand and the bride had both her fathers join her in her journey down the aisle. Thankfully, this emotional moment was caught on camera by Ohio-based wedding photographer Delia D Blackburn who posted those moments on Facebook. And it soon became viral with more than a million likes for the pictures. According to Blackburn, it was one of the most compassionate gestures that she had seen.

Though Bachman and Cendrosky may not have always seen eye-to-eye, Bachman knew that it was the best way to share his gratitude with the man who helped raise his daughter. "For me to thank him for all the years of helping raise our daughter wouldn't be enough. There is no better way to thank somebody than to assist me walking her down the aisle," said Bachman in an interview quoted by Huffington Post.

Speaking to Today, Bachman mentioned that he had prepared for the moment in advance because he knew his daughter was worried about her stepfather. "My stepdad is a very emotional person. He cried for a week straight until my wedding to my mom," she said. "He was like, 'I have a tux, but I don’t have anything special to do,'" said Peck.

Cendrosky admitted that he was hurt knowing that he wouldn't be able to share in this special honor. He said that he loved Peck like his own and just wanted to be a part of her big day. He explained, saying ".. but I knew that was Todd's — the other Todd's — given right being the birthing father. But this was his way of including me, and I thought that was the kindest gesture that anybody has ever set forth for me." Peck was as shocked as her stepdad when her dad made that move. She said, "It amazed me how he could be such a strong man and give me away with my stepdad."

When explaining why he did what he did, Bachman mentioned that families should put aside their egos for their children. "It’s a shame more parents can’t set aside their egos for an event like this. Kids should not have boundaries as to who they love and who they care for. Unfortunately, many parents, through their arguing, bickering, want to keep kids closed in.” As for Peck, she hopes that this kind gesture would help inspire other families who were suffering through the hardships and pain of a broken marriage and divorce. “I hope we get our story out there because it could show families that are putting their kids in the middle of divorces and breakups and custody battles that there can be a good outcome. It's such an amazing story. I just hope we can touch families that are going through the same thing we went through,” said Peck.