Why this wedding photo has gone viral

Bride Amanda Crowe Freebird is pictured with her late daughter in an image created by her friend and wedding photographer. Photo / Facebook, Ashley Frantz

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Wednesday Dec 16, 2015

It was meant to be the happiest day of this bride's life, but it didn't go ahead without the bittersweet memory of her daughter, Azalee, who died aged 6 after a battle with cancer.

In an image created by bride Amanda Crowe Freebird's friend and photographer, Ashley Frantz, mother and daughter are reunited.

The photo, posted to Frantz's Facebook page has gone viral, receiving almost 70,000 ''likes'' since it was shared on Monday afternoon.

Accompanying the shot, Frantz explains that she "finally gets to share one of the most beautiful and difficult pictures I've ever been asked to do".

Frantz wrote that Amanda and new husband Chip, married at Avery Island in Louisiana, released butterflies in memory of little Azalee, who died in 2013 before Amanda met her groom.

She said: "As the butterflies flew up and away, one little beauty decided she wanted to stay a while. She landed right on Amanda (closest to her heart) and stayed while a heart-wrenching cry was shared between the bride and groom (and the entire congregation).

"We all know it was Azalee, just a little whisper from her and God saying "congratulations" and letting everyone know she was nearby to help her mommy cross into her new path of life, where there is nothing but sunshine ahead!!".

The bride has chosen the image as her Facebook profile adding the caption: "Words could not express how satisfied I am with Frantz Photography. This beautiful soul was able to capture an absolutely priceless moment on my wedding day with my sweet girl who passed 2 years ago.

"She found a way to include her in my bridal and she did it so well. God has blessed Ashley with many talents and there is no one else o [sic] would have wanted taking pictures on our most special day."

- nzherald.co.nz