Dad surprises daughter with game of catch at her wedding

(Jim Mickunas/YouTube)


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CANTON, Ohio — What do you do about a father-daughter wedding dance when your daughter really isn’t into dancing?

Surprise her with a game of catch, of course. At least that’s what one Ohio dad decided to do, and the video of his stunt quickly went viral on YouTube.

Jim Mickunas’ daughter Kandice has always done things her own way.

“She played flag football at 6. She hated wearing dresses. She wore a tuxedo to her first communion. She lettered in soccer and track,” Mickunas wrote on YouTube. “She then became an engineer for the largest automaker in the world when she was 22.”

So the idea of slow dancing with his daughter to sentimental music? It just didn’t feel … them.

“We were never dancers so the thought of us having to stand up there and watch everyone dance didn’t sit right with me,” he told ABC News. “We were always just doing something athletic or fun together.”

Six months before Kandice’s May 16th wedding, Mickunas began to formulate a plan.

“We would always play catch if we had extra time, so I thought why not do it at the wedding and throw convention to the wind?” he said.

Mickunas decided to keep it a secret from his daughter. When the time finally came for the father-daughter dance, the pair swayed to “It’s a Wonderful World” for just 15 seconds before Mickunas pulled away and grabbed the gloves — much to the delight of Kandice and everyone in the room.


We would always play catch if we had extra time, so I thought why not do it at the wedding and throw convention to the wind?

–Jim Mickunas


“I was floored. I knew that he was planning something but I thought he was just planning some sappy song,” Kandice Mickunas told ABC News. “I had no idea that was coming.”

But the game of catch wasn’t the only thing up Jim Mickunas’ sleeve. The song he chose as background for this very special game of catch — “Centerfield” — also happened to be the favorite song of his new son-in-law’s grandfather.

“My husband’s grandfather passed away when John was a kid and it was one of his favorite songs,” Kandice Mickunas said.

Instead of handing his daughter over to the new man in her life, Mickunas handed her new husband his glove, as guests cried and cheered.

The video of the Mickunases' game of catch has been viewed nearly 1.8 million times — something that makes the experience all the more special for the father and daughter at the center of it.

“I love that so many people have seen the video because they get to see that special minute between us,” said Kandice Mickunas. “It felt so special.”

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