The ‘Step’ word scares us, but this word doesn’t suit on this stepfather.
Brandon Lindenman met Anastasia Lindenman, in the gym. Anastasia Lindenman is the mother of 4-year-old Raina, and she got separated from her husband. She shared the memorable moment, of Love which became a sweet wedding moment that moved her little daughter to tears, including all the guests.
Anastasia Lindenman says, “At the start of our relationship, I explained all the things I was going through; finalizing a divorce after a year of separation, raising a toddler on my own, staying with my parents while I got my life back on track.
He didn’t seem to mind, I think because we didn’t really expect our relationship to get so invested. But the first time Brandon met Raina, my heart melted. He sat and played with her for hours. The toys varied, but the enthusiasm did not. He complied with every request with a smile, with no hesitation whatsoever; dolls, kitchen, the Nabi.
Little did I know that this was going to spark the relationship that they have today”.
We planned our wedding for June 9, 2018, at a friend’s farm. Through all the planning I made sure I kept Raina involved. After all, she thought this was her wedding. As it got closer, she would look at the decorations I was putting together and respond, ‘is this for my wedding to Brandon?’ or ‘when I marry Brandon.’ Anastasia Lindenman said.
“On July 4th, 2017, when Brandon chose to propose to me at the fireworks down in Long Beach Island, he actually proposed to Raina as well. He felt it was important to include her in the proposal because he would be promising her forever, too. He got down on one knee and asked her if he could marry her and be her dad”.
He picked out a beautiful diamond necklace, and after she nodded yes, he put it around her neck. Her response was, ‘but, where is my ring?’ because she really thought she was getting married herself.
The day of the wedding, nobody had any idea what Brandon had planned for her. She was so excited to get ready. We hadn’t seen Brandon since the day before the wedding, keeping the tradition. She was missing him terribly. She stood peering out the window and asked, ‘Mommy, where is our boy?’ and ‘is it time for me to marry Brandon yet?’ She got her hair and makeup done, she stepped into her own pretty white dress.
She wore the necklace Brandon ‘proposed’ to her with. She got her own bouquet and special baby’s breath crown to wear down the aisle.
We said our vows and then our officiant announced he had something special for Raina. He got down on a knee at her level and presented her with a ring. He put together his own vows for her.
‘Raina, it has been an honor to call me your dad. I have watched you grow up and get bigger and bigger every day. You grow more beautiful every day. For the rest of my life, I will always be here for you, to be your friend and your dad. Will you call me your dad?’
She shook her head yes and he put the ring on her finger, and when he leaned in to give her a kiss and a hug, she started crying. You could truly see that it was an extremely emotional moment between the two of them. Raina is a very emotional girl and has a very emotional attachment to Brandon, but I did not expect her to cry at the words he was going to say to her. ‘Hold me, Dada’ were her words after bursting into tears.