I Paid for Stepdaughter’s Wedding but She Chose Bio Dad to Give Her Away, So I Made Declaration during Toast

A stepfather took to Reddit’s “Off My Chest” forum to share the heartache he felt when his stepdaughter asked her biological father to walk her down the aisle, despite the stepfather having covered the costs of her wedding. For over a decade, he had been a constant figure in her life, offering financial and emotional support, including paying for her $40,000 college tuition and even buying her a car.

Although he wasn’t legally married to her mother, the stepfather had embraced the role of a father, hoping his contributions and love would be acknowledged. His disappointment hit hard during the wedding when it became clear that, despite his efforts, she chose her biological father—a man who had repeatedly let her down in the past.

During the reception, the stepfather took the chance to make an emotional toast. He spoke of his ten years with the family, expressing how he had supported and loved his stepdaughter as if she were his own. “I’ve been in your life for ten years, supporting you and loving you like my own,” he said, his words filled with sincerity.

What hurt him most was the contrast between how he was treated compared to her biological father, who had not contributed financially or emotionally in the same way. Despite this, the stepfather understood her need to maintain a relationship with her birth father, reflecting, “I understand her love for her biological father and her desire to keep him in her life, even though he never supported her financially.”