LAGUNA BEACH Michael Seldon tried to hold it together, but in the end he couldn’t fight the tears.
The 32-year-old Costa Mesa man was on his knees under a grove of sycamores at The Ranch in Laguna Beach. It was his wedding day. Before him stood Brittany, 31, his fiance. But it was Heidi Broderick, her 5-year-old daughter that he spoke to.
“I vow to be fair and honest with you and to support you in every way I can,” Seldon said. “I promise to always hold your hand and brush your hair when you ask me. I promise to read you stories and tuck you into bed. I vow to show you how a man should treat a woman through my relationship with your mom. And above all else, I vow to protect you, care for you and love you so big forever.”
Then Seldon put a Tiffany sterling silver eternity necklace around the girl’s neck. Heidi hugged him and wouldn’t let go. The wedding party broke into applause.
“That was the moment of the day,” Brittany Seldon said of her Oct. 28 wedding. “That’s what everybody remembered – more than the flowers and the music. It became the talk of the evening.”
Michael Seldon’s vows to his stepdaughter got attention beyond the wedding party. Within hours of being posted on Instagram, two photos showing Seldon making the vow to Heidi had more than 10,000 likes. The video was posted on HuffPost Weddings.
For the Seldons, the moment was special because it marked their union as a family. Michael Seldon came up with the idea when he and his fiance were writing their own vows. They knew they wanted Heidi to play a big role.
But, they had no idea his vow would resonate with others.
“I think it’s become more normal for people in our age that there are blended families,” Brittany Seldon said. “I think what Mike did is setting a good example for others.”
Michael Seldon is founder of Liquid State Vapors, which manufactures electronic cigarettes. He has since sold the company and works for them in research and development.
Brittany then-Williams met Seldon through mutual friends when Heidi was 13 months old. She had split with Heidi’s father and was working in interior architecture and real estate.
The two bonded over hiking, doing 12-circuit training routines, watching TV and playing golf. They also share a love of music, especially hip hop, rhythm and blues and rock n’ roll, said Brittany Seldon.
“I wasn’t expecting to meet someone four months after I split with her dad,” she said about Heidi. “Here he comes along and totally opened his heart to her. I made sure to be cautious that it didn’t go too fast.”
Michael Seldon, who has no brothers and sisters or experience with children, said being with Heidi and her mom has been eye-opening and enriching. Heidi was 4 when he proposed.
“She adds a total different dimension,” he said. “It’s a child and there’s a lot you have to do for them. You can’t just eat and sleep when you want to. It made our relationship stronger. She’s taught me about patience and teaching and about life and love.”
The trio lives together in Costa Mesa with their two cats, Sneakers and Bodie, and their white Lab, Duke.
On the day before Thanksgiving, they went back to the The Ranch, near where the wedding took place. Heidi ran around and played on some outdoor patio furniture, prompting her stepfather to remind her to be careful.
So she insisted that he spin her around instead, and he happily obliged.
“I love my big family,” Heidi said.
On the days Seldon is traveling for work, Heidi’s new necklace reminds her of his love.
“Even when Mikey is out of town, he still kisses me goodnight with the necklace,” Heidi said.
Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@scng.com
