(Note: a tidal wave of “all the feels” may hit you reading this story.)
A terminally ill 5-year-old got her dream wedding that had her walking the aisle as a fairy princess with her best friend as friends and family cheered her on.
The part fairy princess, part superhero-themed wedding was thrown for Eileidh Paterson, a child from Scotland who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Eileidh didn’t have time to get the blues though, and wanted to make sure that she could check marrying her best friend in a “dream wedding” off of her bucket list.
The adorable little girl ranked marrying her bestie, a 6-year-old named Harrison Grier, as an absolute must-do. And of course Harrison, who is inseparable from Eileidh, was down to make her wish a reality, said Billy Grier, the boy’s father.
“Harrison had never been to a wedding before, so this was all new to him,” Grier told Metro. “But it was a beautiful ceremony and he enjoyed every minute. He was quite excited to do it.”
Eileidh and Harrison’s wedding was quite the event too, attracting 200 friends and family members who weren’t about to miss the chance to make the young girl’s wish come true.
Friends and relatives of the pair gathered in Aberdeen, with some attendees dressed as Disney princesses while others opted for more “traditional” choices like Batman.
Eileidh walked into the ceremony with her older brother Callum while Pinocchio’s “When You Wish Upon A Star” played. Eileidh’s sister, Cerys, then read a poem she had written for her sibling that ended with “even if we are apart, I will always be with you.” (Speculation says there wasn’t a dry eye in the house at this point.)
Eileidh and Harrison were then officially declared “best friends forever” by a fairy godmother and proceeded to hit the dance floor to party down to the 2015 megahit “Gangnam Style.”
The incredibly upbeat Eileidh was all smiles during the party and boosted by the showing of love and good spirits. Eileidh’s mom, Gail Paterson, said that her daughter recently had some blood transfusions and was feeling drained, prior to her big day.
“She was just extremely drained, but she was like a different girl during the ceremony,” said Paterson. “The spectacle of it really perked her up, she was in her absolute element getting to play with other kids and have fun. These are going to be lasting memories.”
Harrison’s mother, Stephanie Grier, said that her son has a special bond with Eileidh and though he doesn’t often like to dress up, he knew how important the occasion was for her and was thrilled to be a part of it.
Having her dream wedding might have been at the top of her bucket list, but along the way the bubbly 5-year-old crossed off swimming with mermaids, and has plans to hit up a water park next.
The proud mom raised more than £120,000 to send Eileidh to the US for treatment two years ago. Since then, she’s campaigned to help raise awareness about the different types of cancer that can strike children and educate parents on the symptoms through Eileidh’s Journey Facebook page.