Bride’s Emotional Vows to New Stepson Leaves Everybody in Tears: ‘Promise to Love You as if You Were My Own’

A Minnesota nurse Vanessa Lynch planned a sweet surprise for her husband Craig Lynch and his nine-year-old son Henry at their wedding. The 30-year-old wanted to make sure Henry knew how much she appreciated him and that her love for him was beyond being related by blood. The bride expressed her emotional vows to the young boy and promised him that she would love him "as if you were my own." There was not a dry eye at the ceremony including that of Henry's when she delivered her moving speech. 

"At first I wasn't going to do it, because I didn't want Henry to feel uncomfortable in front of everyone," Vanessa explained according to SWNS, as per PEOPLE. "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." Even though she was extremely nervous about the gesture, she just knew that she had to go through with it on their big day because 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. "That's when the tears started flowing when I looked at Henry at that moment." In her tear-jerking vows she promised, "Henry, I know I wasn't there the day you came into the world. 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." An emotional Henry ran towards his stepmom and gave her the biggest hug. He went back and hugged his dad and wiped away his tears, leaving everyone else just as emotional.

Vanessa met her husband first at Augsburg College in Minneapolis where they were both students. In fact, Vanessa was dating Craig's roommate at first! After Craig and Vanessa began their relationship, she was introduced to Henry. Their first meeting took place a few months after the pair started dating. "I wanted to wait as long as it took for Henry to feel comfortable," she said. "I planned our first time together by us three going to see monster trucks together, we all had a blast." Vanessa's story reminds us that love is so much more powerful than being related by blood: love is love. Vanessa herself has a similar background and knows the importance of being there for people no matter what who they are or where they come from.  "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." What a great way to start a wonderful journey as a family, Henry will surely remember this for the rest of his life. 

 
 
Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Melissa Stevens / EyeEm

References:

https://people.com/human-interest/bride-makes-emotional-vows-to-new-stepson-at-wedding/