Widowed husband recreates wedding album in tear-jerking photo series with his adorable three-year-old daughter

A tear-jerking photo series sees a widowed father recreating shots from his wedding day with the help of his happy-go-lucky three-year-old daughter.

Ben Nunery, 34, from Cincinnati, Ohio, lost his wife, Ali, in 2011 to a rare form of lung cancer, just one year after they had celebrated the birth of their first child together.



This fall, he finally decided to sell the marital home they shared, but before leaving he wanted a lasting memory of his past life there.

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I'm still here daddy: Ben and his late wife Ali hold a pose on their wedding day in 2009 (left) and four years later he and three-year-old daughter, Olivia, stand in the same doorway (right)



Then and now: The 34-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, lost his wife, Ali, in 2011 to a rare form of lung cancer, just one year after they had celebrated the birth of their first child together

He and Ali had their wedding photos taken in the property in 2009, one day after being given the keys.

Its sparse, unfurnished appearance made for an ideal studio setting.



And this fall, with the impending move returning the house to its 'empty' state, Ben suddenly got the idea to recreate the same shots from his happy day.

Happy memories: He and Ali had their wedding photos taken inside their new home in 2009, one day after being handed over the keys Final keepsake: Ben recently decided to sell the house, in a bid to make a fresh start

He told MailOnline that he wanted the images to be 'beautiful reminders of the past' as opposed to 'painful reminders of loss and pain.'

Ali's sister-in-law Melanie Pace, who works as a professional photographer, was drafted back to stage the shots she took of the newlyweds four years ago.

One image saw Ben and Ali posing in the door of their new hallway, another saw them lovingly gazing into each other's eyes next to a window.

Fast-forwarding to the present, little Olivia mimicked her late mother's poses dressed in a pretty pink dress instead of white.

Behind-the-scenes: Ali seen getting her hair crimped on her big day

Like mother, like daughter: Little Olivia mimics the pose as she picks up some curling irons from a vanity rack

Commenting on the day, Ben said: 'I think she's too young to completely comprehend what we were doing.



'She knows her mommy is gone, but I don't think she really knew what that photo session was all about.'

Melanie, who noted in her blog post that she often feels her sister's presence, said she felt Ali's guidance during the photo shoot.

She says feathers act as a 'sign from above' and when she went to take a photograph in Olivia's room and the little girl bent down and picked up something, it was a white feather.



Proud groom: Ben is seen waiting for his bride - she died from a rare form of lung cancer three years later

Sharp learning curve: Since then Ben has been getting to grips with being a single father

'Oh hey sis!' Melanie wrote on her blog. 'Glad you could make an appearance in this sesh.'

Ben said the image which stirred the most emotion was the one of him and Ali in the doorway of the hall.

'At the time, when I was stood there and saw Olivia in Ali's place it seemed very symbolic.



'It wasn't until after the shoot that the significance of it hit me,' he revealed.

Melanie posted the photos to her blog earlier this month and the poignant images soon attracted attention.



One viewer wrote: 'This breaks my heart, these pictures are AMAZING.

Mirror image: Ben says Olivia was too young to 'completely comprehend' what the photo shoot was about



'he seems like such a great daddy . . . [His wife] was absolutely beautiful. This really touches my heart as my husband is fighting a terminal brain cancer. Cancer is a horrible journey, I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.'

Another added: 'Well, I definitely needed a tissue, or a box. These are such special photos.

'The love that you see between them is incredible. You can see a sweet sadness, but hope as well in these photos. Beautiful job. Beautiful story.'

After taking the series of photographs around their empty house, the father and daughter duo said goodbye to it and headed into their new life in a new home.

He told MailOnline: 'We are moved and it actually feels really good to be there.

'My hope for Olivia is that she grows up happy and healthy and knowing that she is loved beyond words,' Ben told MailOnline

'It symbolizes a new beginning for us but at the same time I very much feel Ali's presence in the new house. She'll always be with us, no matter where we live.'

Ali, who worked as school teacher, was 31 years old when she discovered she had a rare form of lung cancer called Sarcomatoid Carcinoma in March 2011.



She had a tumor and the bottom third of her right lung removed and started weekly chemotherapy treatments. However, the inoperable tumors returned and she passed away nine months after her original diagnosis.

Ben says he will hang the images from his and Olvia's recent photo shoot around their new home.

