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How Deena Cortese Paid Tribute To Her Late Father At Her Wedding: ‘This Day Is Dedicated To Him’

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Oct. 30 2017, Updated 8:02 p.m. ET

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In June 2016, Deena Cortese suffered a devastating loss when her father John died after a difficult battle with leukemia. So on her wedding day this past Saturday, the Jersey Shore star decided to do everything she could to pay tribute to her late dad. Click through to see how Deena made sure her dad was with her every step of the way on her wedding day.

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Deena attached a photo of her father to her bouquet, along with a charm that said “Dad” and another that read, “I used to be his Angel, now he’s mine.”

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Within her dress, Deena sewed a heart cut out from one of her dad’s shirts. “This whole wedding is based around her dad,” Deena’s mom Joann told OK! exclusively.

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“The vineyard where she's having the wedding. The song that she's dancing to. Everything is based around her father. This day is dedicated to him,” Joann explained.

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Deena said she chose Laurita Winery in New Egypt, New Jersey, as her wedding venue because of what it meant to her and her father. “I wanted it at Laurita because my dad passed away last year and we used to come here with him. And I grew up in New Egypt, so New Egypt’s a huge part of my life,” Deena told OK! exclusively.

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When it came time to walk down the aisle, Deena was joined by her mother and her cousin Frank, who was also her dad’s godson.

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During the traditional father-daughter dance, Deena chose to dance with her two cousins, John and Dave, to the song “You Should Be Here” by Cole Swindell.

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Deena’s former Jersey Shore co-star Jenni “JWoww” Farley, who attended the wedding with the rest of the cast (with the exception of Ronnie Magro) admitted watching the father-daughter dance was the toughest moment of the night for her. “I was not prepared,” she told OK! exclusively, adding that she and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi both became emotional.

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Luckily for Deena, her father was a huge fan of her now-husband Chris Buckner. “John loved Chris,” Deena’s sister and maid of honor Joanie Maiorella told OK! exclusively, adding that Chris asked Deena’s father for permission to marry her before his death last June.

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“From the very first minute, my husband and I both loved Chris,” Joann later added. “We couldn’t have asked for her to bring somebody better through that door.”

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What do you think of the way Deena paid tribute to her dad on her wedding day? Let us know in the comments below.

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