Months Of Planning
Since the start of the digital age, it appears that weddings have become a lot more extravagant by the day. In fact, it’s such a big deal that many people start planning their weddings long before they are even engaged.
Pinterest and YouTube are full of fun and interesting ideas, so it’s understandable that so many people get sucked into this planning. But some weddings tend to be a bit different than others.
A Plan Up Her Sleeve
Your wedding day is a special, magical day. Every bride dreams of her own, unique wedding. Months and even years are spent planning the color schemes, floral arrangements, bridesmaid’s dresses and preparing perfect speeches and vows.
Everything gets planned to the very last little detail. But one bride decided to take her wedding beyond just a spectacular wedding.
An Important Part
Cassandra was born and raised and Florida, and when she got engaged, she knew that she wanted to plan a big surprise for her wedding day. She didn’t even want her husband-to-be, Ryan, to know what she was planning.
Luckily for us, their videographer caught the entire thing on film for everyone to see! Shortly after their wedding, the video started making its rounds on social media. Soon enough, everyone on the internet knew what she had done.
A Little Different
Wedding gifts are a big deal when it comes to traditional weddings. They are usually intended to help the newly married couple start their first home together. But these days, more and more people start living together before marriage, so fewer gifts tend to be home-related.
But they still remain an important aspect of a perfect wedding, especially between the bride and groom. Cassandra was about to cause quite a stir with hers.
Speeches
It’s common for the bride and groom to buy each other gifts to celebrate their big day. They’re usually cute and thoughtful little gifts, such as socks (for if one of them gets “cold feet”) handkerchiefs (to wipe away tears of joy), or the classic, heartfelt letter.
But Cassandra was determined to do something a little different. It was a controversial move, and soon, all eyes were on the groom.
Silence
Usually, the father of the bride and the best man make speeches at weddings.
It is unusual for the bride to make a speech, but Cassandra decided that she would throw this little tradition out of the window. She made a speech that left Ryan, their guests, and internet users around the world floored.
Attention Guests!
The wedding was going swimmingly. Guests were laughing and enjoying the complimentary drinks when all of a sudden, Cassandra tapped on her champagne glass to grab their attention. Everyone looked bewildered, even the groom.
Still, the whole room turned to face her. Six large men entered the room, and that left the guests even more confused. The whole room was silent as the men placed themselves behind the groom.
A Secret Surprise
Nobody had the faintest idea what was happening, even the strange men looked perplexed. However, Cassandra did not even acknowledge the men when she announced that she had a surprise in store for the guests.
She informed the confused crowd that something small was hidden all over the room for each guest. This definitely caught the attention of everyone.
Unexpected
The bride urged the group to begin looking for their gifts, and everyone excitedly obliged. Pure chaos erupted.
They looked under every nook and cranny to find the secret surprise. The tension in the room was thick, but they were all determined to find their gifts. However, they were not prepared for the bride’s next announcement.
Mysterious Envelopes
It is customary for newly wedded couples to provide their guests with something small to help commemorate their union. This gift comes in all shapes and sizes, from candles to plants. It is a sweet reminder of their special day.
This was what the guests were anticipating to find hidden in the room. However, they received something completely different.
Vouchers
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.
Underwhelmed
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 just one treat.
But why was the bride giving out something as unromantic as Dunkin’ Donuts vouchers? Everyone was extremely confused, but this was all part of Cassandra’s plan.
Explanations
After such a huge buildup of excitement searching for the gifts, all the guests found themselves feeling quite underwhelmed at the sight of the cheap vouchers.
And what was the relevance of this random offering from the bride? Even the groom himself didn’t know what to make of Cassandra’s strange speech and gifts.
Who Were They For?
Then, Cassandra tapped on her champagne glass and asked for everyone’s attention again. A sea of confused faces quietened down and looked back up at her as she began to explain herself.
You see, the vouchers that had been given out were not intended to be for the guests in attendance. Murmurs of surprise rose up from the room.
Police Officers
All the guests wanted to know who the vouchers were for. They all felt that the more the bride revealed in her strange speech, 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 all about them!
Lack Of Respect
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.
What Did It Mean?
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.
Playing To The Stereotype
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.
A Cliche
There’s a common notion about police officers: they love donuts and coffee. This cliche has been perpetuated in many films and TV shows in pop culture.
Even the adult animated show The Simpsons portrays policemen in this way – always drinking coffee and dunking a donut into it. Finally, the bride’s intentions were starting to become clear.
Paying It Forward
The bride was well-aware of this common perception about donuts and policemen, and she cleverly decided to play on the stereotype.
Each voucher she had provided for her guests would be redeemable to purchase one hot coffee and one donut from Dunkin’ Donuts. But, instead of using them themselves, the bride had another plan up her sleeve.
Random Act Of Kindness
The bride tapped her glass with a spoon and addressed the confused crowd again. She pressed them to keep the vouchers for coffee and a donut and pass them along to the next police officer they happened to come across.
She intended for all her guests to show gratitude and respect for the city’s police officers by buying them a small treat. But why?.
The Best Gift
Cassandra explained to her guests that – although the vouchers were just a small toke – like all small, random acts of kindness, they can go a long way to making someone’s day.
She hoped that the vouchers would make some police officers smile and feel as though they are appreciated. But Cassandra’s gifts actually meant so much more.
A Promise
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, but 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.
Going Viral
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.
Spreading The Love
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?
Inspiring Thousands
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.
Thoughtful
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.
Lessons
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.
A Thank-You
Hopefully, this story inspires many people to remember those who it’s so easy to forget about while we get on with our safe, comfortable lives.
Of course, I’m referring to 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 small thank-you will go a long way! However, Cassandra taught her guests a second lesson that day.
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.