A mother was stunned when her daughter’s wedding became the occasion of her own engagement, which a viral video captured last week.
The $57.9 billion industry of wedding services, as estimated by market research firm IBISWorld, comes with a host of rules and faux pas. Last year, the average wedding in the United States cost $28,000 or $34,000 including the engagement ring, according to The Knot. For comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put the national average wage last year at $58,260.
The pressures of extravagant costs have contributed to stories about “bridezillas,” or brides who expect the world to bend to their notions of a perfect wedding day. A guest wearing white, intruding on wedding photos and refusing to align with the bride’s particular aesthetic vision are only a few of the blunders that could supposedly ruin her moment. But perhaps the cardinal sin of wedding etiquette is a proposal during the nuptials.
Not so for Chloe Robinson, a bride who chose to share her big day with her mother. A TikTok video capturing her mom’s surprise engagement has so far garnered 1.4 million views.
The clip showed Robinson preparing to toss a bouquet behind her back. Traditionally, the woman to catch the flowers may become the next bride. However, after three broad swings, Robinson never threw her bouquet. Instead she turned around, ran into the crowd and planted the flowers in her mother’s hands.
Her mother’s partner then stepped into frame with a ring in hand. He fell to one knee in front of the bride’s mom, who wept and embraced him, surrounded by cheering guests.
A mother was stunned when her daughter’s wedding became the occasion of her own engagement, a viral video captured last week. Above, a wedding dress in a bridal shop in Whitby, England, in 2017.
Ian Forsyth / Stringer/Getty Images Europe
“Dear Mum, it’s your time now,” wrote Robinson in a comment below the video.
She told viewers that her mother gave her away at her wedding, explaining, “I wanted her to match me.”
TikTokers React
The post melted hearts online, with Robinson’s audience stirred by her willingness to share a milestone in her life with another milestone in her mother’s.
“I’m not crying, [you’re] crying,” commented one viewer. “What a beautiful way to be able to say ‘Thanks Mum for all you have done [and being] by my side.'”
“So not a ‘not on MY day,’ ‘no kids rule,’ ‘it’s all about me’…kind of bride,” agreed another. “Beautiful. What a day to spread the love. Congratulations all.”
“I love this,” a third user commented. “I’ve seen people post it’s my wedding, why should I share an engagement? A wedding should be about this, it’s all about love.”
Newsweek reached out to Robinson for comment.
