A woman has gone viral for taking her newborn baby to a friend’s wedding—after all, nothing was going to stop her from attending the celebration, even if it did clash with her due date.
Ashley Dalton and her husband were ecstatic when they learned that their oldest friends were getting married and they gladly kept the date clear. Indeed, the two couples went to high school together, and Dalton’s husband has been friends with the groom since elementary school.
Dalton, 30, of California, told Newsweek that it was “a really meaningful wedding” for her to attend, but there was just one slight problem. After finding out the date of the nuptials, Dalton was in a for a surprise when she learned that not only was she pregnant, but her due date was the same day as the wedding.
“The plan was always to be there unless I was in active labor,” Dalton said. “If the baby had been born within 24 hours of the wedding, while I was still in the hospital recovering, my husband would’ve gone to the ceremony only (not the reception) to send our love and support.”
As it turned out, Dalton delivered her daughter a few days before the wedding. While many women would, understandably, not feel ready to attend a wedding just a few days postpartum, Dalton had to be there.
She and her husband planned their day around their new bundle of joy, with the help of Dalton’s mom of course. Dalton was able to attend the ceremony while her mom stayed in the car with the baby.
Dalton said: “My husband went in the morning for getting-ready photos and the full event as he was a groomsman. My mom drove me and the baby later and I fed her in the car before the ceremony. She slept in our air-conditioned car while my mom stayed with her. After the short ceremony (about 25 minutes), I came back out to feed her again.”
While the bride and groom spent time taking photos, Dalton hurried back to the car to see her daughter. She was closely followed by some childhood friends who couldn’t wait to meet the newest addition. She spent around 30 minutes introducing friends to her baby from the car.
Dalton shared a video on TikTok (@ashley.daltonn) showing the moment she cradled her newborn in the backseat while friends came to say hello. The clip has gone viral with over 11.9 million views at the time of writing, which is beyond anything Dalton anticipated.
While many people loved Dalton’s commitment and dedication to be present for her friends, others were more critical. A lot of social media users took to the comments to suggest the new mom was making the wedding about herself and stealing attention, which Dalton refutes.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I don’t take it personally. We were very intentional about being respectful. The plan was always for my mom to stay with the baby in the car so I could be nearby. We never intended to bring her inside. I truly care about friendships and I would’ve felt honored if a friend made that kind of effort for me,” Dalton said.
Introducing friends to her daughter was “a last-minute decision” while guests were enjoying cocktail hour. Dalton explained that guests were already outside waiting for photos, so this just happened naturally.
There were other children at the wedding, but Dalton ensured she and her baby “stayed out of the way” and didn’t change any of the wedding arrangements. The bride and groom didn’t come over to the car, although Dalton waved to them through the window and said they were “really excited” the new family of three could attend.
Since the clip of Dalton introducing her daughter to friends at the wedding went viral, it has amassed over 2,000 comments already. Dalton didn’t expect this joyful moment to generate so much attention or spark such an intense debate online.
Many people praised the gesture, as one comment reads: “Aww this is cute, congratulations to everyone!”
Another person replied: “Both sharing their big moments in life together.”
As for the critics, one TikTok user said: “Way to make someone else’s day about you…”
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