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The daughter of a firefighter who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks experienced a heartfelt moment with his former colleagues as she celebrated her wedding.
Kristin Marino stepped out of the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Wednesday to find her father Kenneth’s fellow firefighters gathered with their trucks.
Kenneth was one of the many brave firefighters who lost their lives responding to the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.
In a video posted to her Instagram, the 27-year-old stated: ‘My dad couldn’t be at my wedding because he was taken from us on September 11th, so look who did.’
‘New and retired firefighters from my dad’s firehouse,’ she continued. ‘I finally understand why they say “It’s a brotherhood.”‘
The members of Hell’s Kitchen Rescue Co. 1 escorted the radiant bride and her family to Rockefeller Center’s 620 Loft & Garden, where she wed 28-year-old musician Noah Schnacky, as reported by the New York Post.
‘It was incredibly surreal to walk out and see so many firefighters lined up in tribute to my father,’ expressed Marino, who was just three years old when her father passed away.
‘The sight brought me to tears and reminded me of the incredible brotherhood within the FDNY.’
At her wedding on Wednesday, current and former firefighters from her father’s unit waited to see her off in front of their firetrucks
Kristin Marino, 27, was only three years old when her father, Kenneth, was killed in the September 11 attacks. They are pictured here with her younger brother, Tyler
She added that it was ‘so special’ to see the firefighters there with their trucks. ‘It felt as though my dad was right there with me, walking me down the aisle,’ she added.
At one point, Marino was seen wiping away tears as she stood by the firetruck and took in the meaning of the gesture – while her mother, Katrina, and younger brother, Tyler, were also seen becoming emotional.
‘We kept trying to hold it together, but tears came in waves, one of us would tear up, then another.
‘All of us wishing and knowing he should have been with us, but so special to have his “brothers” there with us,’ Katrina recounted.
‘Kenny would be so proud, knowing Rescue One was there for us.’
Before the family arrived at the ceremony, they took photos from inside the firetruck – almost 24 years after Kenneth placed Kristin and Tyler in a similar one that would report to Ground Zero hours later.
The family, originally from Long Island, had decided to visit Kenneth at work on September 11, 2001 before three-year-old Kristin had to report for a modeling shoot.
‘He placed me and my brother in that same truck that literally got crushed like an hour later,’ Marino recounted to the Post last year.
The firefighters transported the bride to Rockefeller Center’s 620 Loft & Garden, where she married musician Noah Schnacky
At one point, Marino was seen wiping away tears as she stood by the firetruck and took in the meaning of the gesture
Before they left, Kenneth whispered in her ear: ‘If you are a good girl, when I get home, I will get you a prize,’ an online obituary says.
Katrina found the prizes weeks later: a Dorothy doll for Kristin and a Scarecrow for Tyler. There was also a fireman Santa Claus ornament for her.
Kenneth had served as a firefighter for over two decades, starting at the age of 18 as a volunteer. He has since been remembered for his heroic actions on that fateful day.
‘When he was in the towers, he had stopped for a guy that was having a heart attack and didn’t want to leave him,’ Marino said.
‘And all the guys were like “Come in, we have a bigger thing to do.” He’s like, “Yeah, but I need to help him.”‘
She said she now knows her father was ‘smiling down’ at her ‘knowing I was taken care of’ at her wedding on Wednesday, when she and Schnacky exchanged vows in front of 100 of their closest friends and family members.
Marino and Schnacky exchanged vows in front of 100 of their closest friends and family members
Marino now says she knows her father was ‘smiling down’ at her ‘knowing I was taken care of’
‘We wanted a wedding that felt intimate, magical and personal – a celebration of love, faith and family where we could be fully present with our closest people,’ the couple told PEOPLE.
Marino walked down the aisle with her grandfather, Kenneth’s father, as Blue Moon played. Schnacky had written the song for Marino as an engagement gift.
The two had met in early 2020 at an event the musician was hosting for JWLKRS Worship in Florida.
Schnacky popped the question in front of Walt Disney World’s Cinderella Castle in December 2024, and the couple announced their engagement on Valentine’s Day 2025.
Following the ceremony, Schnacky performed another song he wrote for Marino entitled ‘I’m Not Going Anywhere’.
In the end, Marino said she is ‘so grateful to the firefighters of [the] FDNY for making my wedding day so meaningful and unforgettable.
‘Thank you for never forgetting, FDNY,’ she said.
