Bride dances with a cardboard cut-out of her late mom: video

A video has gone viral of the touching moment a bride danced with a cardboard cutout of her late mother on her wedding day.

Natalie Mulcahy’s mother, Linda Thomas, died in January 2021 after a two-year battle with cancer. She was 67.

The bride, 27, from Hertfordshire, England, wanted to find a way to honor her mother on her special day, so the family brought along a life-size cardboard cutout of their matriarch.

Natalie married Carl Mulcahy in Cyprus this month.

Video of the ceremony shows the bride stepping onto the dance floor with her dad, Colin Thomas, 69, for the father-daughter dance. As the two sway to “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler, they hold onto the cardboard cutout of Linda to include her in the moment.

A clip of the heartfelt moment was posted to TikTok and went viral, with 104,200 views in just a few days.

The Thomas family was told that Linda had only a few weeks left to live around Christmastime 2020. In her final days, the mother of 12 was cared for by her loving husband and children.

“All five girls and my dad were present when she actually passed. It was the saddest day of our lives. The boys attended and managed to say their goodbyes on the night,” Natalie told Daily Mail.

After her passing, one of the sisters decided to purchase a life-size cardboard cutout of Linda to include her in future family events.

“Mum would normally be stood in the corner overlooking everybody at my sister’s home. We all decided she had to be at the wedding, and my sister packed her into the suitcase and off she went,” Natalie said.

Natalie and Carl were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony near the water at the Grecian Sands Hotel in Ayia Napa, Cyprus.

“When the day came, my mum was in position and the stage was set,” she explained.

The couple took their first dance together before Carl stepped in to dance with his daughter, when he thought of including Linda and asked, “Shall we?”

“She was picked up and kissed, and we danced together to one of her favorite songs, ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ by Bette Midler. There wasn’t a dry eye,” Natalie remembered.

“The special lady in my life was at the special day in my life. The whole thing was emotional but had to be done.”