Miami Hurricanes mascot walks bride down the aisle (VIDEO)

A bride whose father passed away two years before her wedding day found a very special replacement to walk her down the aisle.

Jennifer Sullivan has always been a big fan of the University of Miami Hurricanes, so it was only fitting that the college mascot, Sebastian the Ibis, accompany her when the Florida native wed her fiance Patrick back in March.

In a video that has been shared more than 5,000 times since it was posted on July 17, the 30-year-old bride giggles and beams as her lively friend elicits cheers from the wedding guests

Patrick  told ABC News that since Jennifer's dad Walter died of a heart attack two years ago, she had struggled with the thought of walking down the aisle alone.

"She thought about her mom or a good friend or an uncle, but she thought nobody was going to take the place of her dad and it'd be a sad moment for everyone," he said.

So they came up with the idea to have the mascot for University of Miami Hurricanes — where Jennifer and Patrick met in law school — be the guest of honor.

The choice was extra special since her father was a devout football fan, and the pair had always a shared love of sports. As an added tribute, Sebastian wore a custom jersey that said "Big Walt" - her father's nickname — on the back.

"We'd just told people Sebastian was walking her down the aisle and they didn't know Sebastian was the name of the mascot."