Woman asks 85-year-old grandfather to be 'flower grandpa' at wedding

In the months before an engaged couple's big day, lots of planning and preparation goes into making sure their wedding day will be a memorable one that goes off without a hitch.

What color will the bridesmaids' dresses be? What song will the bride walk down the aisle to? Who will be the flower girl?

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One Georgia woman broke tradition when she asked her 85-year-old grandfather to be the "flower girl" at her Oct. 1 wedding.

"The idea of having him be a 'flower girl' started out as a joke, and I teased him that I was going to have him wear a tutu and patent leather shoes like a typical flower girl," Jennifer Briskin, 29, told Country Living. "He liked to joke that this would make him 'go viral!' My whole family thought that I was crazy, but I couldn't let it go. I wanted our wedding to be memorable and different without being cheesy, and I thought that this would be the perfect addition to our ceremony."

Briskin officially asked her grandfather, Stanley, to be her "flower grandpa" a few months before the wedding in a message she had embroidered on a handkerchief.

"Papa, will you be my flower grandpa? Love, Jen," the message read.

Briskin, who said that her grandfather is an avid walker, said that he was hesitant to take on the role.

"He was worried that he wasn't up for the task, but I assured him that if two-year-olds can do it, he could figure it out," Briskin told BuzzFeed. "He insisted on practicing before the big day, so my sister Allison, my maid of honor, bought a pumpkin bucket and fake leaves from the dollar store and they practiced on his driveway."

On the day of the wedding, Stanley was the last person to walk down the aisle before Briskin and her parents. Wedding guests didn't know that Stanley would be serving as a flower grandpa.

"As soon as he walked out, I heard constant laughter," Briskin said.

Stanley forgot what he had practiced with his granddaughters, but he entertained guests while he walked down the aisle.

"He still wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, and instead of throwing the petals down the aisle, he started throwing them on our guests," Briskin said. "It felt like our style to have all of our guests laughing right before we started our life as husband and wife."

Briskin said that during the wedding reception, guests treated Stanley "like a celebrity."

"Everyone wanted a moment with the man of the hour, and he could not have been more proud of himself," she told Buzzfeed. "He still enjoys talking about all of the guests' reactions to his big moment."

Briskin, who said she spends lots of time with her grandfather, said she always knew she wanted him to play a special part in her wedding. 

"I feel very lucky to have a grandfather who, at 85, is still young at heart and willing to participate in my crazy ideas," she told Buzzfeed. "I'm excited that I have pictures and videos to show my children and grandchildren when I recount stories about my amazing grandfather."

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