Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell’s Husband ‘Teared Up Like a Baby’ Watching Their Wedding Back (Exclusive)

Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell’s husband, Eldridge Toney, opens up about the difficulties he faces reliving a magical moment in his life now that he has lost his great love.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ahead of the film’s premiere on Friday Mama June: Family crisis, Eldridge admits that he could not watch his wedding with Anna without feeling.

After learning of her diagnosis of stage 4 adrenal cancer in March 2023, the couple, who had been in a relationship for six years, decided to tie the knot. Nine months later, her mother, Mama June Shannon, announced that Anna had died of cancer in an emotional post shared on Instagram.

The premiere of the family reality show and the documentation of Anna and Eldridge’s wedding comes two months after her death.

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Eldridge Toney and Anna Cardwell.

Anna Cardwell/Instagram

Although he didn’t watch the entire episode, Eldridge tells PEOPLE that he “cried like a baby” after watching the “first few minutes.”

“I have mixed feelings about it,” he says of watching their wedding unfold. “I’m happy in the sense that I can rewatch that special moment between the two of us and it’s also going to be heartbreaking in the same sense because you know, seeing how happy and healthy she was then versus her last days.”

He adds: “Just hearing her voice again and seeing her expressions. Obviously, I’ve seen pictures and stuff from our wedding, but it’s not the same as watching that moment.”

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Anna Cardwell and Eldridge Toney.

Anna Cardwell/Instagram

In the premiere episode Mama June: Family crisisAnna tasked her sisters Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird and Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson with planning the impromptu wedding after she and Eldridge decided to tie the knot after learning of her diagnosis.

While mom June went grocery shopping to make Anna’s favorite foods and Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon picked out flowers for the big day, Laury’s husband Josh was ordained online to officiate their wedding.

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Later, the girls followed Anna to a boutique to find her perfect dress. For Anna, that dress was ideally something “simple” that wasn’t too “dramatic” but showed a little “cleavage”.

When it was finally time for the big day, Anna’s friends and family looked on teary-eyed as she floated down the aisle with her father, David. She got emotional at the altar as she exchanged vows with Eldridge.

I’m glad you and I met, you help me with the girls and I wish they didn’t experience what I’m going through now, she said through tears. “And I really love you.”

Eldridge responded with his vows, saying, “I love you and I just want to let you know that I appreciate everything you do for me and I promise to be there for you no matter what and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”

Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell and Eldridge Toney dance at their wedding.

MI TV/ YouTube

After the ceremony, the couple got ready for their first dance at the wedding reception in the courtyard. Cardwell mouthed “I love you” to her new husband as they slow danced in front of their loved ones.

As night fell, the couple continued to rock back and forth, and later Anna’s daughters Kylee Madison and Kaitlyn Elizabeth joined in the dance.

When Anna asked Kaitlyn, “Are you happy for mommy?” she answered quietly, “Yes.”

“Eldridge, he’s your stepfather now,” Anna told her daughters after the new family of four hugged together.

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Mama June: Family crisis airs Fridays at 9pm ET on WE tv.

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Source: HIS Education