Kate Pearson included more than one tribute to her late father, Jack Pearson, when she walked down the aisle in the season finale of This Is Us on Tuesday, March 13.
Chrissy Metz, who portrays Kate on the beloved NBC drama, shared with fans on Twitter that a variety of wedding elements honored the late Pearson family patriarch, whose tragic cause of death was revealed in early February. The TV bride originally wanted to pay homage to her late father by attaching his “magic” Daytona Beach T-shirt to her wedding dress. (Jack gave his young daughter the sentimental article of clothing to encourage her to be brave.)
However, Toby forgot to pack the item which threw a wrench in the moment… somewhat literally for the couple. However, Kate honored her dad by hiding his screwdriver in her blush bouquet—the same tool he used to fix items around the home before the tragedy.
Showrunner Isaac Aptaker touched on the sentimental object’s inclusion at SXSW Festival. “With all the different choices [of Jack’s], it was a matter of, ‘What will fit in a bouquet?'” Aptaker told Glamour. “And plus, we gave Deja [Jack’s] bat.”
This Is Us bouquet. (Credit: NBC)
(Credit: NBC)
Justin Hartley, who plays Kate’s twin brother Kevin on the show, joked that a fishing pole would’ve seemed mildly out of place, while Ventimiglia chimed in and said the same about his character’s boxing gloves. Hartley said, “I think in the end, it was a logistical thing.”
Metz and the crew honored Jack in more ways than one. The actress also wore Jack’s initials, a tiny “J” and “P” on each pinky for her character’s bridal manicure.
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” Kate wrote Tuesday. “When we were planning Kate’s wedding look, I knew I wanted to do something special. Honoring the beautiful relationship Jack and Kate always had, I decided to have his initials close to my heart.”
Watch the wedding video above.
