Modern Weddings
In the digital age we live in, weddings are becoming more and more extravagant every day. Many people start planning their wedding before they even get engaged. People scour the internet for DIY ideas, browse through Pinterest and Youtube for decor and wedding dresses, first dance videos, and more.
Some wedding videos are a bit different, however.
Planning
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Weddings are magical and special days. Every bride wants their wedding day to be unique. Weeks are spent on deciding color schemes, floral arrangements, bridesmaid’s dresses, and preparing perfect speeches and vows. Every bride wants to plan her day right down to the last detail.
One bride, however, decided that just planning a spectacular wedding wasn’t enough.
Changing The Rules
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Cassandra, from Florida, had planned a surprise for her wedding. Not even her husband-to-be, Ryan, knew what she had up her sleeve. And, to boot, the videographer had caught the entire incident on film for everyone to see.
It wasn’t long before the video was making its rounds on social media. Then, the whole internet found out what she had done.
Wedding Gifts
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Wedding gifts are a big part of a traditional wedding. Normally these gifts are to help the young couple start a home. However, more and more people are living together before marriage so fewer gifts need to be home-related. But, whether the gifts are from the guests to the couple, or from the bride to the groom, gifts are still an important aspect of a perfect wedding.
And Cassandra was about to cause quite a stir with hers.
Tokens
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Brides and grooms often also buy each other gifts to celebrate their big day. These are generally cute and thoughtful little gifts like socks (for if one of them gets “cold feet”) handkerchiefs (to wipe away tears of joy), or even a heartfelt letter.
This bride, however, decided to do something a little… different. It was a controversial move. Now, all eyes were on the groom.
Discarding Tradition
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Traditionally, the responsibility of making speeches at the wedding falls on the shoulders of the best man and the father of the bride. Usually, the bride doesn’t make a speech.
However, this bride decided to throw tradition out the window. She made a speech that left her husband-to-be, their guests, and internet users around the world floored.
Mysterious Men
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The wedding was going according to plan when suddenly, out of the blue, Cassandra tapped on her glass for quiet. The guests, and indeed the groom, were perplexed. Everyone turned around to give her their undivided attention. But when they saw the men walk in, they didn’t know what to think.
Silence fell over the crowd as the six big men took their places behind her husband.
Treasure Hunt
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No one knew what was going on, not even the six men Cassandra had called up. Before addressing why the men were there, Cassandra told everyone that she had arranged a surprise.
She told her baffled guests that she had hidden a little something for everyone around the room. Understandably, this got everyone very excited.
Wedding Favors
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Cassandra announced that everyone should get up and try to find the gifts. In a flurry, everyone excitedly began to search. They rifled through the bouquets of flowers and lifted the centerpieces, searched under tables and even around the wedding cake.
It’s not uncommon for couples to give guests some small favor to remember the day. Often these are something small like a candle, or a glass, often containing the date and names of the couple getting married. This is what the guests were expecting.
Mysterious Envelopes
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Eventually, one of the guests found a small envelope and yelled out that they had found it under the seat. Everyone quickly searched under their own seats, and sure enough, they each found their own sealed envelope.
They were wondering what the envelopes contained. But once the bride gave them permission to look inside, everyone’s excitement became pure confusion.
Vouchers
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The guest’s eyes widened as they ripped open the envelopes and looked inside. Inside every envelope was a $3 Dunkin’ Donuts voucher — enough to buy one treat. But why was the bride giving out Dunkin’ Donuts vouchers? After such a buildup of excitement, they found themselves feeling quite underwhelmed.
And what was the relevance of this random offering from the bride? Even the groom didn’t know what to make of it.
Explanations
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Then, Cassandra asked for everyone’s attention again. A sea of confused faces looked back up at her as she began to explain herself. You see, the vouchers were not intended to be for the guests in attendance. Murmurs of surprise rose up from the room. All the guests wanted to know who the vouchers were for. They all felt that the more the bride revealed, the more confused they were!
Then, Cassandra explained that the gifts were relevant to the six men she had called into the room. In their excitement, the guests had completely forgotten about them!
Police Officers
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The bride went on to explain that the vouchers were for someone that they all know, but also may not have met yet. What was going on? She introduced the men as brothers in arms to her husband – fellow police officers who served alongside her husband on the local police force.
A little bit of recognition rippled through the crowd, but still, they were puzzled about why the bride had insisted on getting them up during her speech.
Lack Of Respect
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She went on to describe the men – courageous, selfless, thoughtful, strong and kind. However, this was not always the way they were treated. So often there is a lack of respect paid to the police force and the public’s treatment of them is unfair, according to the bride.
She explained the sacrifice that her husband and his team make every day – risking their lives, leaving their families to report for duty, never really having time off like most of the guests do.
What Did It Mean?
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The policemen stood a little shyly, unused to such high praise and being the center of attention. The rest of the audience was also feeling a little awkward, thinking about what the bride was saying and asking themselves if they too were guilty of the lack of respect that she was describing.
They were also, rather understandably, still curious about the situation and wondering what the vouchers were about. What did they have to do with the police officers? All was about to be revealed.
Playing To The Stereotype
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There’s a common notion about police officers: they love donuts and coffee. This cliche has been perpetuated in many films and TV shows — even the animated show The Simpsons portrays policemen in this way.
The bride was well-aware of this and cleverly decided to play on the stereotype. Each voucher would purchase one hot coffee and a donut. But, instead of using them themselves, she had another plan up her sleeve.
Paying It Forward
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The bride addressed the confused crowd, pressing them to keep the vouchers and pass them on to the next police officer they came across. The gesture was meant to show respect and gratitude. Cassandra explained that, although the vouchers were just a small token, the small act of kindness could go a long way.
She hoped that they would make some police officers smile and feel as though they are appreciated. But Cassandra’s gifts actually meant so much more.
The Best Gift
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To Ryan, Cassandra’s dumbstruck groom, the gesture meant so much more. He was touched that she had planned out such a unique and heartfelt way of telling him that she respected and supported his choice to become a police officer. And, not only that, her gesture had extended to his fellow officers as well.
He quickly became emotional and tearfully thanked his wife for what she had done — it was the best gift he had ever received. The six officers gave the bride a warm hug to show how touched they were, too.
A Promise
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Ryan felt as if his gift to his wife would never live up to the amazing gesture Cassandra had planned so carefully — and, honestly, he’d be forgiven for thinking so! However, he had a speech of his own for his wife.
He promised to continue to serve his country, and he promised to do everything in his power to make his wife happy. With her love and support, he knew that they could weather any storm.
Going Viral
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Of course, the entire wedding was recorded by the couple’s videographer and even by some of the guests. Soon, the footage was uploaded online for the world to see. It was also a way to share the day’s magical events with those who had not attended the ceremony.
But, nobody anticipated just how far it would spread. The video exploded on social media and went viral, garnering over 180,000 views! But how did viewers react to the touching video?
Spreading The Love
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The comments continued to pour in. Civilians, police officers, and their families all showed their support and gratitude. One of the many viewers was the wife of a police officer.
In her comment, she explained how difficult it was for her to raise a family while her husband was out on long shifts to protect his country. She also voiced how difficult it was for her, knowing that something could happen to him while he was in the line of duty — a very real fear for police officers’ families.
Inspiring Thousands
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The video was shared far and wide, and it inspired hundreds of people. People were so touched by Cassandra’s tribute to police officers that they decided to spread some love of their own. It’s incredible to think that one bride’s wedding video touched the hearts of thousands of people worldwide.
The video also happened to come at a time when tensions between the police force and civilians were especially high — making its message doubly important.
Thoughtful
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Cassandra had thought long and hard about the perfect gift to give her husband. But instead of settling on a token gift like a watch or hipflask, she decided to make a grand gesture to show her love.
Rather than giving her wedding guests a meaningless gift that would quickly be forgotten about, Cassandra had decided to give them something that they would remember forever.
Lessons
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Hopefully, this story inspires many people to remember those who are so easy to forget about while we get on with our comfortable lives — the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect their country and the people living in it. Next time you see a police officer, a thank-you will go a long way!
Another lesson to learn from Cassandra and Ryan’s wedding video is that the best gift you can give your loved one is showing your support and appreciation for what they do.