A bride brought her groom to tears at the altar when she began performing her vows in sign language – a surprise gesture for him and his deaf parents.
Kelsey Kulick, 23, secretly learned the vows for her husband, Michael, who communicates with his deaf parents, Paul and Gina, using American Sign Language.
The touching moment took place on November 13 at the Gore Creek Wedding Venue in Boaz, Alabama, near the couple’s home – and the footage has since had more than 10 million views.
Kelsey Kulick, 23, secretly learned the vows for her husband, Michael, who communicates with his deaf parents, Paul and Gina, through American Sign Language (ASL)
The moment took place on November 13 at the Gore Creek Wedding Venue in Boaz, Alabama, near where the couple lives – and the footage has since garnered over 10 million views
Captioning the 26-second video on TikTok, Kelsey wrote: ‘This viral video is me and my sweet husband on our perfect day! So thankful this special moment was captured.’
Much to the surprise of her fiancé, as soon as her hands started forming the words of her vows, tears welled in his eyes. He realized she had done it just for his parents and relatives who are deaf.
According to Kelsey, she had mentioned when she and Michael got engaged that she would like to sign her vows.
She was worried about potentially signing something wrong and offending someone, but Michael said his parents would love the idea.
After that first chat, though, she decided not to mention the idea again, so Michael would forget about the suggestion by their wedding day 11 months later.
Kelsey enlisted the help of Michael’s Aunt Christy – who is fluent in sign language and whose husband is deaf – and asked her to record them so she could learn them by repeating the hand actions.
Using Christy’s video, she secretly learned to sign her vows, and, come the wedding day, only Christy, videographer Chandler Smith, and pastor Harvey knew what was to come.
The wholesome moment, shot by Chandler, was later shared online, with Michael’s tear-filled response soon going viral.
Captioning the 26-second video on TikTok, Mrs Kulick wrote: ‘This viral video is me and my sweet husband on our perfect day! So thankful this special moment was captured’
Kelsey said that when she returned from her honeymoon the post had more than ten million views, and, to date, it has received more than two million likes.
She added: ‘This was important to me because this is their family’s way of communicating.
‘Though I’m not fluent, I wanted to do it out of respect for them and to show them all that I love them and I’m so thankful that I get to be a part of their family.
‘I was very nervous going into the vows portion of the ceremony because I wanted it to be perfect.
‘But I had practiced so much and had even practiced multiple times only seconds before walking down the aisle.
Kelsey enlisted the help of Michael’s Aunt Christy – who is fluent in sign language and whose husband is deaf – and asked her to record them so she could learn by repeating the hand actions
‘Once I began signing, it all just came naturally. Then seeing Michael’s reaction just made the moment even more special than I had ever imagined.
‘Michael says he was very emotional and that it was a very special moment for him.
‘I did get to ask my in-laws and they were happy about it. They still talk about how they loved that moment and they’re thankful that I made an effort.’
One viewer commented: ‘This is so thoughtful. Sending love and wishes.’
Another said: ‘Literally the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.’
Kelsey’s husband also commented on the video: ‘One of the best moments of the day.’