After Bride's Dad Dies in Line of Duty, 7 Officers Step In for Emotional Father-Daughter Dance
The father-daughter dance is one of the most emotional parts of a wedding. Many people are tempted to cry when the bride walks down the aisle, but unless the dance is lighthearted, it’s often the second-most teary segment of the wedding.
But they’re good tears, and when the opportunity for that special moment is ripped away, it’s devastating.
Kourtney Young, now Krietemeier, lost her father 14 years ago, when she was just 13. He was a police officer, and he was shot and killed on the job.
“We did everything together,” Kourtney told NBC’s “Today.”
“He was my best friend. So, not having him here for big moments is always really hard.”
One of those biggest moments took place in October, when Kourtney married Tanner Krietemeier, and she once again felt an emptiness.
“Of course, it’s super happy,” she explained, “but at the same time, there’s this sadness, there’s that thing that’s missing.”
“I had my dad’s necklace wrapped around my bouquet,” Kourtney told KDVR. “Tanner and I did a shot of Patron during the ceremony in his honor. We tried to make it fun — smiles, happy memories.”
The couple did their best to honor Donnie Young’s memory, and meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kourtney, her mother was planning something extra-special for the father-daughter dance that Kourtney thought would never happen.
Kourtney knew that two of her father’s colleagues would be walking with her down the aisle, and she was happy to have them there, as she said not having her dad to walk her down the aisle was a “really hard thing to think about.”
“So I was excited to have my mom walk me down because she’s everything to me,” she explained. “But having Jeff and Chris behind me was it really solidified everything and made me feel like he was a part of it.”
“I was excited to dance with my mom, but I kept thinking about my dad,” she told NBC. “I wanted him there too. I was kind of dreading that moment.”
So when her mom revealed her big surprise — that she’d chosen a song that had been special to Kourtney and her dad and asked seven of Donnie’s closest friends to dance with her — Kourtney got (understandably) emotional.
“I was shocked,” she told KDVR. “The look on my face in the video was like, ‘Oh no.’ I just knew the tears were going to be flowing.”
“When I was super young, my dad got me small replica of his badge with his number on it for Christmas. He played that song when he gave it to me.”
As the officers danced with her, they told her how much her dad had meant to them and how proud of and excited they were for her and her new husband.
Officer Danny Veith noted that the bride wasn’t the only one ready to cry.
“Being the first to dance with her, I got to see every other officer walk out, very proud, happy fathers,” he told KDVR. “And then as they turned their back to Kourtney to return to our group, every single one of them was crying. At that moment, I was just so proud of these guys and how far they have come in the last 14 years.”
“There is no way I would’ve missed that. I’ve been talking with them since the day it happened, and I’ve tried to be there to support them every step of the way. This was a small part we could do to make sure he is never forgotten,” Officer Jeff Baran added.
While the dance was unexpected, it was a perfect way to honor her late father and not have to miss out entirely on the important moment.
“These are good, amazing people that put their lives on the line for us every single day,” Kourtney said, speaking of the officers. “You never know what’s going to happen, you never know if they will be there tomorrow, so make sure you tell them how much you appreciate them.”
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