Bride surprises dying grandmother with special wedding ceremony
By Julie Salomone
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BROOKSVILLE, Florida (WFTS) — A Brooksville bride-to-be surprised her dying grandmother with a special wedding ceremony months before her actual wedding date.
Gianna Huber was set to get married in December 2024.
She knew her grandmother, Jo Ann, would likely not live long enough to see her wedding day.
Jo Ann was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023.
“I originally wanted her to go wedding dress shopping with me when we were looking and she was just too weak, she just couldn’t,” said Gianna.
The 23-year-old bride-to-be decided to surprise her grandmother with a special wedding ceremony. Her entire family participated.
She revealed her wedding dress to her grandmother, who was in home hospice care.
“She was just like immediate tears. I feel like she was so happy to be seeing me in my dress, but at the same time sad because she knew she would be missing the real day,” said Gianna.
Gianna said her bridal boutique allowed her to borrow a sample dress since she had not yet received her actual dress.
“They were gracious enough to allow me to borrow the one off the rack, the same one that I had bought.”
In the video, filmed in August of 2024, family members walk into Jo Ann’s room before Gianna shows off her wedding dress.
Gianna said her father played the song “My Girl” by the Temptations, which was one of grandma’s favorite songs.
“I had my flower girls get their dresses on and my sister, who is a bridesmaid, and we kind of just spur of the moment decided to put everything together. My dad started playing music,” said Gianna.
Gianna said her 77-year-old grandmother died nearly two weeks later. She got married last December without her.
The video posted to TikTok has thousands of shares and more than 1.3 million views.
“There were so many people who had like similar stories and it was just really so amazing to see that other people had thought of what I did,” said Gianna.
Gianna believes the video reminds others of the loved ones they’ve lost and how their love stays with us forever.
“I just want people to know how special of a woman she was…she really was the rock of our family. We say that a lot. She kept us all so close, and we’re all just one big happy family. I just really want people to know how much she meant to us,” said Gianna.
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