A Poor Dad Helped Shoot A Wedding Video, Not Knowing The Bride’s Sister Was A CEO Falling In Love
The Wedding Favor
The camera slipped in Felix Harper’s hands as his 5-year-old daughter tugged on his jacket, whispering, “Daddy, is that the princess?”
Felix steadied the rented cannon and glanced up from where he was crouched, taping the bride’s entrance at the lavish lakeside ceremony.
“Kind of,” he whispered back to Tessa, who was perched on a folding chair beside him, a juice box in hand. “But we’ve got to be quiet, okay? Daddy’s working.”
Truth was, Felix hadn’t touched a real camera since college. Now, as a single dad juggling two part-time jobs, he only said yes to this gig because his neighbor’s cousin was the groom.
They needed someone cheap. Real cheap.
He’d borrowed the camera, ironed his only button-down shirt, and promised the wedding planner he’d keep his daughter quiet during the ceremony.
He hadn’t expected the wedding to look like it belonged in a movie. White roses twisted around a custom arch, champagne flowing before the vows even began.
A string quartet played like they were being paid by royalty. But everything shifted the second she walked in.
Not the bride, though she was stunning in her mermaid gown, but the woman trailing behind her: the Maid of Honor.
She wore a black silk dress that hugged her figure and heels that could kill. Her hair was tied back in a sleek twist, face set in calm elegance.
But her eyes—they were sharp, focused, alive. Felix blinked, totally forgetting to hit record for a second.
She turned suddenly, catching him staring. Her brows lifted just a little. Not judgmental, curious.
He fumbled and looked down at the camera.
“Daddy,” Tessa whisper-yelled. “You’re not filming.”
“I know,” he muttered, hitting record again, cheeks burning.
After the ceremony, the reception took over the massive cliffside estate. Felix kept his distance from the guests, working the edges of the ballroom with the camera.
Tessa sat near the buffet table, coloring her unicorn book. He checked in with the event planner twice just to make sure it was still okay for her to be there.
They’d said yes, as long as she wasn’t in the way.
He was filming the bride and groom’s first dance when someone stepped beside him.
“You forgot to film the cake cutting.”
Felix looked up. Her same sharp eyes, same black dress, same calm voice.
“I… what?”
“You missed it. It happened 10 minutes ago. I figured you were the videographer.”
“I am. Kind of. I mean, just for today,” he said, brushing his hand over the lens nervously. “I didn’t know they were doing it early.”
She crossed her arms, watching him. “You’re not a professional, are you?”
“Nope,” he said, not even pretending. “This is a favor for a very distant connection.”
She looked over at Tessa, who was now sipping her second juice box and talking to a waiter like he was her best friend. “And she’s your daughter?”
“Yeah.” Felix straightened. “Sorry if it’s weird. I didn’t have a sitter.”
“It’s not weird,” she said, her stare softening. “It’s refreshing, actually.”
He blinked. “Refreshing?”
She extended a hand. “Daphne Brooks. Maid of Honor.”
“Bride?”
He hesitated, then took her hand. “Felix Harper. Struggling cameraman/barista/autoshop assistant and single dad.”
She raised a brow. “You say that like it’s a punchline.”
“It usually is.”
Daphne’s lips pulled into a real smile. “Well, Felix-slash-everything, you might have missed the cake, but you got the vows perfectly. I saw the footage. It was raw. Real.”
“People pay a fortune to look that genuine.”
He frowned. “How do you see the footage?”
“I run the company that hired the wedding planner. I know what’s going on at my events.”
His brows lifted. “Wait, you own the planning company?”
“No. I own the resort. The whole property. Brooks Estates,” she said casually, like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb.
Felix stared. “You’re the Daphne Brooks?”
Her eyes twinkled. “You’ve heard of me?”
“No. I just… That name’s on everything here. And you said it so chill.”
“I don’t usually advertise it, but you looked like you weren’t going to ask.”
“I figured I’d already messed up enough not filming the cake.”
Daphne laughed. “You messed up, but not enough to ruin the night. Besides, the bride’s drunk already and forgot.”
He smiled, really smiled, for the first time that day.
“Thanks,” she nodded toward Tessa. “She’s beautiful. Looks like you.”
“She’s got her mom’s eyes,” he said quietly.
Daphne didn’t press, just nodded.
“I should get back to filming,” Felix said, lifting the camera.
“Actually,” she said, stopping him. “Would you want to get a drink after with me?”
He blinked. “Wait, like a date?”
“Not if you don’t want it to be. But I’d like to talk more, and I think your daughter would love the dessert bar.”
Felix looked over at Tessa, who was now dancing in a circle with another kid near the stage.
“I mean, she’d say yes in a heartbeat.”
Daphne smiled. “Then let’s take her to it.”
They walked together through the crowd, Daphne reaching for a macaron to hand Tessa, who accepted it like she’d just gotten a treasure.
Felix watched the way Daphne lowered herself to Tessa’s level, asking about her unicorns and her sparkly shoes. It was the first time in a long time someone treated Tessa like a person and not just a tag-along.
And when Daphne looked up at him, eyes warm and curious, Felix’s chest tightened.
He hadn’t been looking for anything, definitely not love. But something about this woman—this CEO who didn’t act like one—was impossible to ignore.
Even though he barely knew her, he couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight had changed something big.
