Aussie bride's heartwarming wedding moment after family tragedy: 'Speechless'

"Who's going to walk me down the aisle?" These were the first words Bianca Accurso uttered when her mother told her, at thirteen years old, that her father had passed away.

"I knew from that moment that I needed to feel like he was going to be there right there with me [on my wedding day]," Bianca told Yahoo Lifestyle. "It was always important for me to acknowledge my dad in a special way at my wedding as he was my first love and whole world."

The Melbourne mum-of-one kept her promise to her teenage self when she got married earlier this year, tracking down the man who owned her late father's car and asking him if he would be willing to let her use it on her big day.

"When going down the path of planning, I was writing down all that we needed to organise and tick off and ‘cars’ was one of the many things on the list," Bianca explains. "Alec [my now husband] had asked me what car I would like to have and I quickly responded 'an XY GT just like my Dad’s’. He was a proud owner of his Ford XY GT and nothing made him happier than taking us for a cruise in it on a stunning Melbourne Day."

Bianca said that although she had been a shy child who didn't love the attention her dad's car used to receive, she would now do anything to have one last cruise in it. However, the idea of trying to track down the new owner didn't occur to her until she was talking about wedding cars with her mother and confessed she was obsessing about getting her father's exact car.

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How did Bianca find the man who owned her dad's car?

"I literally then had a light bulb moment and said out loud, ‘Hey imagine if I could get it..’. I asked my Mum to see if she still had the transfer papers and contact details of the male that she sold it to after Dad had passed," she says. "After searching through her organised archives, there it was.. Name and phone number. Within a second I had the whole phone call planned out in my head. I dialled his number and after a few rings, he answered... It was Harold!"

Although the phone call started a little awkwardly, Bianca says that once Harold realised who she was they started chatting as though they were long lost friends.

"I then proceeded to ask if he still owned my dad’s GT, to which he responded, ‘I would never sell it’. I had total goosebumps," Bianca said. "I then told Harold the real reason why I had called and explained to him my wish of driving to my wedding in my Dad’s GT. There was no hesitation and he quite literally responded, ‘I would be absolutely honoured to do that for you, count me in.’ I was speechless. The butterflies were fluttering in my tummy... it was a meant-to-be moment."

Wedding moment goes viral

That moment was one that Bianca captured and shared on TikTok with a video that has amassed 690k views and more than 600 comments from people who were moved by Bianca's story and Harold's incredible kindness.

"Your father is watching down crying and praising that man for taking time out of his day to make yours even better ❤️❤️," one person wrote.

"The pure joy and happiness on your face❤️❤️❤️ your dad may have not walked you down the aisle but he made sure you arrived in style..bless this beautiful man for doing this for you on your special day🥰🥰🥰," said another.

"This has me sobbing, absolutely so sweet of him & you. So happy you got to have this moment😭🥹✨," a third added.

"He saw a girl who just needed her dad for one more time and event hough he's not your father he did the closest thing he could offer to bring him close to you 🥰," yet another person wrote.

"[It's been] so incredibly overwhelming for all the right reason," Bianca says of the response to the video. "It was a moment that meant so much to me which is why I wanted to share it with the world, but I never imagined how many people it would touch! I am truly blown away."

How to honour a late loved one at your wedding

"Seeing my Dad’s car after 10 years was indescribable," she continues. "My smile said it all. It looked like it had never been touched. I could picture my Dad in the driver's seat with me buckled in tightly by his side.

"When we were driving in it, it was pure joy and happiness! We were just so present and tried to enjoy every last moment. Harold made us feel so comfortable and gave us a ride that we will never forget."

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For anyone else who is experiencing the strange duality of happily planning a wedding while simultaneously grieving the loss of a loved one, Bianca has some advice for honouring them on the day.

"No dream is too little or too small. Take time to process your late loved one and what they mean to you and the role that they would have played on your wedding. Think about how you could envision them being right there beside you on your special day," she says.

"Picture it and go for it."

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