We’re believers that love is love, and any type of marriage is worth celebrating. However, we know that not everyone feels that way when it comes to LGBTQ+ couples and of course, weddings—even family members of the couple getting married.

While painful, many times when an LGBTQ+ gets married, their parents, grandparents, or another close relative who doesn’t believe in their type of marriage may choose not to attend the event. And that can be heartbreaking for the couple.

Knowing this, one father named Dan Blevins from Tennessee had recently decided to do something about it. He began by creating a video on TikTok calling for many same-sex couples who might need a parent to attend their wedding to call him and he’ll step in.

He had no idea how viral the video would go. It wound up reaching thousands upon thousands of people, eventually leading to create a Facebook group called “TikTok Stand In Families,” which has garnered a worldwide community of thousands of supporters on Facebook. “In 2018, I walked my own daughter down the aisle, and just the thought of someone not having that parent at their wedding or in their life, it was just heartbreaking to me,” Blevins told Al Roker on TODAY.

IN the video, he encourages anyone who needs a parental figure to walk them down the aisle to give him a call—he’s happy to step in! And if he isn’t available? He’s got friends who are also happy to help out.

“If I’m not able to attend your wedding, I have friends that will,” he says in the video. “We have a big network and it just continues to grow of moms and dads that want to be a part of your big day.”

So where did the idea even come from? Blevins was inspired by Sarah Cunningham, the founder of the LGBTQ advocacy group Free Mom Hugs, as a way to help support same-sex couples, who don’t always get the support they need. “I think we tend to take our family for granted,” Blevins said. “Filling that need of a mother figure or a father figure, even if it’s virtually, means so much to a lot of people.”

What an amazing concept! To learn more about how it works and what he has planned for the future, check out this TODAY segment.

What do you think of the idea of having a parental stand-in for LGBTQ+ weddings?