Who’s cutting onions in here?
Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how many great songs Brad Paisley had back in the day. He was one of the biggest names in country music in the late ’90s and early 2000s with songs like “Mud On The Tires,” “I’m Gonna Miss Her,” “We Danced,” and many more.
But the West Virginia native scored his first #1 hit back in 1999 with “He Didn’t Have To Be,” which was the second single from his debut album.
The song is a heartwarming tribute to a stepfather who came into a child’s life and stepped up when he didn’t have to:
“And then all of a sudden, oh, it seemed so strange to me
How we went from something’s missin’ to a family
Lookin’ back all I can say about all the things he did for me
Is I hope I’m at least half the dad that he didn’t have to be”
And though the song is now 25 years old, it clearly still hits home for the families who’ve found the type of relationship that Brad sings about – like this one young man who performed the song for his new stepdad at his mom’s wedding.
Video posted to TikTok shows a then-six year old named Justin singing “He Didn’t Have To Be” at the wedding as his proud parents look on – and guests wipe away their tears.
@melissakayy93 Wedding day throw back! My son was 5 when my husband came in. Justin asked to surprise him with his at our wedding. #hedidnthavetobe #bradpaisley #fatherson #weddingday #blendedfamily #sevenyears @Dakota Traylor ♬ original sound – Melissakayy
The video was taken at their wedding 7 years ago, and naturally folks in the comments wanted an update – and father and son are clearly still doing well, recently hitting up a Michigan football game together:
@melissakayy93 Replying to @Kristina Dawn for those of you asking for an update 7 years later! Heres them a few weeks ago at the BIG HOUS. #michigan #bighouse #Wolverines @Dakota Traylor ♬ Michigan Wolverines – Avery Andon
You love to see it. Shoutout to this dad, and all the men out there who step up and become fathers when they “didn’t have to be.”
@melissakayy93 Replying to @user526383558111 ♬ original sound – Melissakayy
Tennessee Couple Hosts Their Wedding Reception At Waffle House
When you go to Waffle House, what’s the first thing you think of?
Of course, the obvious choice is waffles, or another breakfast item that Waffle House has perfected (just give me the All-Star special).
Or your mind could go to the perpetually sticky floors and menus, or even the vibrant yellow light of the sign illuminating a parking lot fight between two Waffle House employees.
There are just too many wonderful things to really narrow it down, but one Tennessee couple walked into the beloved breakfast eatery and thought something no one else in the world ever has before: Waffle House would be the perfect place for a wedding reception.
Now that might sound like a stretch, but we’ve seen a lot of younger couples get creative with wedding stuff. There was even another Tennessee couple that had their engagement pictures taken outside of an Olive Garden, and let me tell you, they were beautiful.
And speaking of beautiful, I can’t think of a more perfect place to celebrate the beginning of your married life than a Waffle House. Eli Holbrook and Mary Cate Hedge got married on a family farm this past weekend after originally meeting in high school in 2016.
Though they briefly lost touch after high school, the two reconnected while Eli was serving in the Marines. Holbrook and Hedge talked on the phone every day while he finished up his service, and then decided to tie the knot a few years after he returned to Tennessee.
The Waffle House reception was apparently a surprise for Eli orchestrated by Mary Cate, since it is his favorite restaurant and she felt like she got more attention during the wedding and wedding planning process.
Needless to say, it looks like the surprise went over well, and the newlyweds surely rocked the jukebox of the Waffle House to celebrate the start of their lives together.
Check it out:
There’s no information that would lead us to believe that their vows were scattered, smothered, or covered, but they are definitely regular Waffle House All-Stars after this.
They’ve got each others love for the rest of their lives, so now someone needs to just hook them up with free Waffle House for life too…
Jason Aldean Helps Navy Officer Surprise His Kids After Coming Home From Deployment
A very special surprise, indeed.
Earlier, Jason Aldean shared a video on his social media accounts, where he’s helping surprise a military family with a surprise homecoming.
Navy First Class Petty Officer Blake Darling and his wife, Brittney, along with Jason and his team, surprised their two children at one of Jason’s concerts with the return of their father after a 10-month deployment.
It appears as though they’re at some sort of pre-show meet and greet type of thing, and the two kids are onstage with Jason as he asks them about their dad’s military service:
“I know your dad is in the military, right? We got the story and thought we’d give you a little surprise today. So if that’s cool with you guys, can we do that? Alright cool. You guys ready?”
Officer Petty walks onstage with his wife, and you can see his older son in shock, as his daughter runs up and gives her dad a big hug and they embrace for a while, clearly all excited to be back together again as mom watches on.
I love these kinds of videos, and as someone with very close ties to the military (Army), it’s always incredible to see a family back together again after so much time apart, not knowing if you’ll all actually be together again one day.
For the kids, I’m sure getting to meet and see one of their favorite artists was awesome, but to have him be part of their dad’s homecoming surprise will certainly be a day they’ll never forget.
Definitely take a minute out of your day to watch, it’s pretty dang cool:
After a 10 month deployment, First Class Petty Officer Blake Darling is back home with his family! Thanks to his wife Brittney for letting us be in on the surprise. Welcome home! 🦅 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2xkZ9pQSa2
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) August 21, 2024
Jelly Roll Gifts Newlyweds At His Concert $10,000 For Their Honeymoon
Jelly Roll is always giving back to his fan base.
The “Save Me” singer has a phenomenal track record of reaching out to his fans and helping them out. In just the past couple of months, Jelly Roll has promised to pay for someone’s college tuition and even gave some boys and girls running a lemonade stand a hefty tip of $700.
And now, he’s giving what could be the most badass wedding gift the world has ever seen.
In a video from one of his recent Beautifully Broken Tour stops to Lafayette, Louisiana’s, Cajundome, Jelly Roll stopped his show to talk to some fans that were standing right by the stage. A sign that a couple was holding up apparently got the attention of the rapper-turned-country-artist, and he paused everything to ask if what they were saying was actually true:
“Y’all just got married? Today? Y’all got married just now, today? Can we get a camera on these people? This is f*****g awesome. This is so cool.”
Sure enough, the newlywed couple had just gotten married earlier at the day at 1 o’clock, and one could assume they did an early wedding just so they could make it to the Jelly Roll concert. With seats like they had right up against the stage, I don’t blame them.
Once the camera got on the couple, and they shared pictures and videos from earlier in the day when they tied the knot, so Jelly Roll asked everyone’s go-to follow up question when they find out someone has gotten married:
“Have you thought about where you want to go on your honeymoon? Where you going on your honeymoon?”
The couple shouted back that they weren’t sure yet, and were still trying to figure that part out. That’s when Jelly Roll fired up the arena with his generosity as he pledged an unbelievable and memorable wedding present to the lovely bride and groom:
“I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna give you $10,000 to go is what I’m gonna do. The deal is, all I want is videos baby, you alright with that? What about the newlyweds y’all?”
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, and what a class-act Jelly Roll is, eh?
For those out there familiar with modern day wedding costs, $10,000 can go a long way in helping out with the financial aspect of the milestone event. I’ve currently got my own wedding coming up myself, and I don’t mean to beg, but Jelly Roll – if you are reading this – I “Need A Favor.” Need might be strong word, but I was obviously just trying to fit in a song pun there…
I’m currently looking up how much front row tickets would be to a Beautifully Broken Tour stop near me. It appears that tickets close to the stage at a Jelly Roll concert could be viewed as a “great investment,” as it was for the newlyweds in the video below.
Check it out:
And if you are also interested in checking out Jelly Roll as he’s on his Beautifully Broken Tour, you’ll want to look over these dates below to see when he comes to a town near you.
The Beautifully Broken Tour Dates
Thursday, Sep. 19 – Charleston, South Carolina – North Charleston Coliseum
Friday, Sep. 20 – Raleigh, North Carolina – PNC Arena
Saturday, Sep. 21 – Washington, D.C. – Capital One Arena
Tuesday, Sep. 24 – Albany, New York – MVP Arena
Thursday, Sep. 26 – Boston, Massachusetts – TD Garden
Friday, Sep. 27 – New York, New York – Madison Square Garden
Saturday, Sep. 28 – Belmont Park, New York – UBS Arena
Sunday, Sep. 29 – Newark, New Jersey – Prudential Center
Tuesday, Oct. 1 – State College, Pennsylvania – Bryce Jordan Center
Wednesday, Oct. 2 – Philadelphia, Penn. – Wells Fargo Center
Saturday, Oct. 5 – Pittsburgh, Penn. – PPG Paints Arena
Sunday, Oct. 6 – Buffalo, N.Y. – KeyBank Center
Wednesday, Oct. 9 – Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Arena
Friday, Oct. 11 – Chicago, Illinois – United Center
Saturday, Oct. 12 – Louisville, Kentucky – KFC Yum! Center
Tuesday, Oct. 15 – Wichita, Kansas – INTRUST Bank Arena
Friday, Oct. 18 – Tulsa, Oklahoma – BOK Center
Sunday, Oct. 20 – Bossier City, Louisiana – Brookshire Grocery Arena
Tuesday, Oct. 22 – Little Rock, Arkansas – Simmons Bank Arena
Wednesday, Oct. 23 – St. Louis, Missouri– Enterprise Center
Friday, Oct. 25 – Knoxville – Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center
Saturday, Oct. 26 – Atlanta, Georgia – State Farm Arena
Sunday, Oct. 27 – Charlotte, N.C. – Spectrum Center
