Bride and son share emotional first look in viral video
"I was just happy to see her be happy," the boy told "GMA."
A video of an emotional first look between a Florida bride and her son has gone viral on TikTok with over 7 million views in just 10 days.
The minute-long clip follows 11-year-old Mekhi Sheffield, dressed in a light suit, as he rounds a corner and sees his mom Sommer Jean in her bridal gown and veil, standing in front of golden balloons spelling the word "Bride."
"I was actually in the bridal suite … and I asked them if they would be so kind to go get my son for me and bring him in the room and that's kind of how that happened," Jean told "Good Morning America."
As Mekhi stands in front of his mom, he starts to grow emotional before his mom beckons him closer and gives him a loving kiss and wipes away his tears.
"She said, 'Are you going to cry?' And then I started crying," Mekhi recalled to "GMA."
The middle school student said he was overwhelmed at the time, knowing how special the forthcoming wedding was.
"Me and my mom have been through quite a bit together and all of those moments just replayed in my mind, and I was like, 'Wow, we've really been through a lot. Now we're finally here!'" he said.
"I thought of it as the day that my mom was waiting for. I was just happy to see her be happy," he added.
Jean, who describes her son as her "best friend," said she was also moved by her son's reaction.
"I actually started to tear up myself but he does a really good job of keeping me calm," Jean said. "He knew I had makeup on and he didn't want … to make a mess of my makeup so I wanted to reach for him so bad, but I was happy that they pretty much encouraged him to come to me so it was really sweet. It was a really great moment for sure."
Jean and her husband Jeff Jean married on Jan. 8 surrounded by family and friends in St. Augustine, Florida.
For Mekhi, he said the union was everything he hoped for his beloved mom, who had been a single parent to him for the last nine years.
"It's better than anything I could ever get on this earth," he said.
Editor's note: This was originally published on Jan. 18, 2023.
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