Photo of parents' first look at daughter on her wedding day has a bittersweet back story

The first glimpse of a daughter in her bridal gown is a special, emotional moment for any parent.
 
But in Mark and Sonia Leicester’s case, the beautiful occasion was tinged with sadness and grief.
 
In an award-winning photo by Sean Weekly, the proud mum and dad are seen fighting back tears as they watch their daughter Sam prepare to marry her high school sweetheart.

It was a bittersweet moment, as Mark and Sonia had always imagined their eldest daughter Jenna would have been the first to walk down the aisle.

Sam, who was four years younger than Jenna, told The Independent her wedding last July was an emotional roller coaster for the whole family.

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“I felt like my parents should have seen her in a wedding dress before me, she would have been married by now for sure,” she said.

“So for my parents not to have seen Jen in a wedding dress, I think they may have found it difficult seeing me.”

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“But I had my wedding for me and my big sister.”
 
Weekly, whose photo of Sam and her parents won him a Masters of Wedding Photography Award, said the feeling between the three was “palpable”.
 
“I guess her parents were so proud but also sad in the sense that it felt to them they were losing another daughter, in a good way of course,” he said, adding that he too had tears in his eyes.