4-Year-Old Cries Happy Tears As New Stepmom Reads Him Her 'Vows'

A video of their sweet exchange went viral

A couple had a beautiful wedding ceremony in Pennsylvania over the weekend involving the groom’s four-year-old son from a previous relationship. His new stepmom decided to read vows to him too, and his reaction has the internet bursting into tears.

Josh and Emily Newville, both Marines stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County, New Jersey, were married over the weekend. According to CBS News, the couple had been together for two years before deciding to tie the knot. During that time, Emily had a chance to build a strong bond with her future stepson Gage, a relationship that caused a clip from the Newvilles’ wedding to go viral.

In the video, Emily is reading her “vows” to little Gage as his stepmom. “I want you to be safe and to try your hardest and to be a good person,” she says through tears. Gage throws himself at Emily, crying and hugging her tightly. The sweet images were captured by Jessica Husted Photography.

And this is where basically everyone lost it — Gage, Josh, the officiant, and several people in the audience of loved ones. Because this is simply too sweet to bear.

Emily pressed on, her voice shaking, totally determined to say what she had to say to her new stepson. “I know we will butt heads…but I hope with all my heart that as you become a grown man, you will understand my methods and realize I have only done what’s best for you and that I love you.”

“The last thing I hope you learn is that you are a very special boy. You are so extremely smart, handsome and kind to others. You have helped turn me into the woman that I am today. I may not have given you the gift of life, but life surely gave me the gift of you.”

Anyone else dodging the onion ninjas, or just me? Please say it’s not just me.

Emily finishes her vows and leans down to hug and kiss Gage and then gently urges him to go to his uncle, because there’s still a wedding to finish. The whole video is sweet for a number of reasons, but the easy vibe between this stepmom and her little guy is probably the biggest.

Emily says her relationship with Gage has been “nothing short of perfection” and explains her reasons for wanting to have him in their ceremony. “I wanted to involve him because when I was vowing to be Josh’s wife I was also vowing to be his stepmom. I wanted him to feel special and to remind him of how much he means to me.”

She says his reaction was a total surprise. “He had no idea that I had planned vows to him and at 4 years old I really didn’t expect him to understand what was going on but his emotions tell a different story!”

Merging families is never simple. Even if all parties involved are supportive, there are still hurdles to overcome. But in this family, it’s clear that Gage’s well-being is paramount. His mom even chimed in on the video’s comments saying, “As his mother I can say that she is an amazing step-mother to him. I couldn’t have picked someone better. Gage is lucky to have her and I’m so thankful I can trust her to be there when I cannot be!”

At the end of the day, Gage has two moms who love him very much. And that’s a beautiful thing to see.