Kansas-raised Brenna Kleman had a special request for her wedding day: for her 83-year-old grandmother to be her flower girl.
That became a reality when Kleman got married to Brock Kendall in April, and her grandmother wore a specially chosen maroon dress with pearls as she threw pink petals into the air in pure joy.
“Grandma,” as she prefers to be called, and because she didn’t want to share her identity, said that after her granddaughter asked her to be the flower girl, she immediately started to research the job. She wanted to make sure she gave her granddaughter the best day.
“I felt excited and blessed to be there,” Grandma told “Good Morning America.”
Kleman, a registered nurse in an intensive care unit, got the idea to ask her grandmother to be a part of the ceremony from a patient.
“I was taking care of a patient who was a flower girl for her granddaughter’s wedding,” Kleman said. “It inspired me so much. I wanted to include my grandmother in my special day.”
Kleman said that although Grandma was extra nervous on her wedding day, everyone cheered as she scattered those petals.
“The whole congregation just could not stop smiling when they watched Grandma walk down the aisle,” Kleman said. “She got a little teary eyed … she said she wanted to make sure that she did everything OK for my day.”
When photographing weddings, Thomas Felts usually captures “unpredictable” young flower girls who throw petals in front of brides with long veils. Kleman’s grandmother, although not as unpredictable in temperament, was no exception.
“Once in a blue moon, I’ll look through my viewfinder and see a picture that automatically stands out,” Felts said. “That was an adrenaline-rush shot.”
“I hope it makes people stop and think to call important people in their lives,” Felts said. “[It’s] a nice reminder to stop where we are, think about who’s important to us and reach out and make those connections.”
Kleman grew up just 2 miles from her grandmother’s home in Derby, Kansas. Now, Kleman and Kendall live only 20 minutes away from her in Wichita. Throughout the years, Kleman told “GMA” she has always been inspired by her grandparents’ love.
“I think their marriage is filled with happiness, trust and love,” Kleman said.
Kleman’s grandparents have been married for 63 years. She said that although they can’t go dancing together anymore, her grandma brings her husband’s walker to a dancing venue so he can still watch her dance.
“That’s what I want my marriage to be like,” Kleman said.
What stuck out for Klemen and Kendall was Grandma’s strength as her husband has been sick for a while.
“It was Grandma’s positive attitude that brought him up,” she added. “Grandma has always put family first and she’s there for all of us.”
The family said the widely circulated image of Grandma is a reminder that weddings do not need to follow traditional standards.
“Age doesn’t matter,” groom Brock Kendall told “GMA.” “Grandma’s 83 years young and in the picture, she’s off the ground jumping and throwing flowers.”
Kleman said that Grandma has enjoyed viral fame.
“Grandma says people really need a positive story, so she’s happy that she can be a part of it,” she said.
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