“Brotherly Tribute: Sibling Dance at Bride’s Wedding”

Gabrielle Stelzer-Dolan not only asked her brother Thomas Stelzer to officiate her wedding but also prepared a special surprise for him – a sibling dance that brought tears to both him and the audience.

“He has shown me more love in my life than anyone else, so he is the one to officiate my wedding,” 26-year-old Gabrielle told The Epoch Times, “I just knew I wanted to give him more respect.”

Gabrielle, who hails from Pennsylvania and currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, grew up in a harmonious family with close connections to her 28-year-old sister Danielle Brown and 30-year-old brother Stelzer.

“I have been called ‘Tommy’s little sister’ since I was young, no one has ever used any other nickname for me, we have always been there for each other, done many things for each other, he is one of my best friends,” the physical therapist said.

Since she started planning her wedding with her now-husband, 26-year-old Elliot Dolan, she hoped her brother could be a part of their special day.

On Christmas 2022, she asked her brother to officiate the wedding, and he was pleasantly surprised.

“When you get married, the officiant is very important,” she said, “I know a lot of people indeed chose someone they do not truly know, but for me, I wanted someone who clearly showed me what unconditional love means, and he is the only one in the world, along with my mother, who has shown me complete, unconditional love.”

Furthermore, she began brewing a plan where after her husband and mother-in-law danced the “mother-son dance” at the wedding, she would surprise her brother with a dance to show him respect.

She kept this plan hidden from her brother, ensuring only a few bridesmaids, her sister, and her now-husband knew.

On April 19, after the dinner on the wedding day, when all speeches and mother-son dances had ended, the band announced, “Now the bride wishes to dance with a special person, the biggest supporter and one of her favorite people in the world, a man she has looked up to since the day she was born. Can Thomas Stelzer-Dolan dance with the bride?”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Stelzer was taken aback.

“He immediately started to cry,” the bride said, “His words were, ‘You kept this a secret from me, making me cry in public.’ It was very moving.”

The siblings danced to Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” as it held personal meaning for them.

“This is an artist we’ve listened to from childhood,” the bride said, they often played Billy Joel’s songs in the car.

Seeing the siblings together, the audience was moved to tears.

“For anyone with siblings, this is definitely an emotional thing. Or think of a sibling, whether they are beside you, whether they are far away, or whether they have passed away,” she said.

Soon, other siblings present at the wedding joined them on the dance floor.

This special moment deeply reminds us that siblings are “your best friends in your heart.”

“From the day you were born, they have been with you, until, you know, the end of time. You know your parents will be with you, possibly for a long time, but they don’t have the opportunity to experience every life milestone with you,” she said.

Therefore, expressing respect for her brother on her wedding day was very important to her.

After she shared this precious moment on the internet, it quickly spread, accumulating over 400,000 responses.

“As a mom,” one commenter said, “If I were there, I would be in tears!”

“Tears flowing. Siblings are the only ones who are with us throughout our life journey,” another wrote.