Rory Feek made headlines when he married again, eight years after the death of his wife and singing partner, Joey Feek. But he admits that his 10-year-old daughter with Joey, Indy Feek, was the real star of the show at the beautiful wedding.

Joey Feek died in March of 2016 after a valiant two-year battle with cancer that drew worldwide attention. She was 40 years old.

Rory Feek met his new bride, Rebecca, several years ago when she started working at the one-room schoolhouse on his Tennessee property as a teacher to Indy, as well as a dozen other children.

Forming a new relationship was a slow process for the widowed singer-songwriter and author, he admits.

Related: Hear Rory Feek + Dolly Parton Sing ‘One Angel,’ a Tribute to Joey

In a blog post revealing his wedding, Feek says he and Rebecca were worried about how Indy — who has Down syndrome, and turned 10 earlier in 2024 — would react once they started talking about marriage. She was just two years old when her mother died, and she holds a deep attachment to Joey. On top of that, she saw “Miss Rebecca” as her trusted teacher.

In the end, the wedding might not have happened without Indy’s intervention. She floored both her teacher and her father one day, when she said, “Ms. Rebecca, I think you should marry Papa,” according to Feek.

“And then Indy looked at me and said ‘and I told Miss Rebecca that my Mama’s been gone a long time. And if she marries you, maybe she could be my new mother,'” he writes.

Feek married Rebecca on July 14 in Greycliff, Mont., and he surprised his new wife by performing a new song titled “I Do” during the wedding. But he says that wasn’t his favorite part of the ceremony.

“I think by-far my and her favorite moment of the wedding was this one,” he writes, sharing a picture of himself, Rebecca and Indy together, all of them beaming with joy.

“When Indiana was given the gift of having a Mama in her life again. And Rebecca was given the gift of being a mother. And we became a family.”

Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.