Sister surprises big brother with a sibling dance at her wedding: 'Not a dry eye'
The memorable surprise brought Thomas Stelzer to tears.
When Gabrielle Stelzer married Elliott Dolan, she asked her older brother Thomas Stelzer to officiate their wedding.
Thomas Stelzer was therefore understandably preoccupied on April 19, making sure his youngest sister was having the best day of her life when she dropped a huge surprise for him at her reception in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The surprise – a touching brother-sister dance – was caught on video and Gabrielle Stelzer's TikTok video of the special memory is quickly going viral, having gathered 2 million views since she shared it Tuesday.
"POV: you surpise your big brother with a sibling dance at your wedding 🥺 not a dry eye in the room," Gabrielle Stelzer captioned her post.
In an email interview, Gabrielle Stelzer, 26, told "Good Morning America" she felt having her brother officiate her wedding just "didn't feel like enough" so the surprise sibling dance was one heartfelt way she wanted to show her love to her big brother, someone she describes as "one of her biggest supporters and favorite people in this world."
"My dad is not really in the picture, and I made the decision to walk my self down the [aisle] and have my brother officiate the wedding however it still didn't feel like enough," Gabrielle Stelzer wrote. "I wanted to honor my brother, show him how much he means to me, and hit him with the biggest surprise that he can't out do me for a while!"
The siblings danced to Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are," which both brother and sister said was a fitting song for the occasion.
"Growing up, we always listened to Billy Joel. He's my favorite artist and I listen to him often. So I think that's why Gabrielle chose that song," Thomas Stelzer said. "When I got up to Gabrielle, she asked if she picked a good song, I said to her, 'I don't even know what song is playing, this isn't fair!'"
"She got me so good," the 30-year-old added.
Even though her wedding was about her union to her now-husband, Gabrielle Stelzer said she also knew deep down that she wanted to share a special moment with her brother, who affectionately calls her "Goob."
"What he doesn't know [is] that in my heart, I always believe it was meant for him to dance with his baby sister on her wedding day. I wouldn't change it for the world," she said.
Thomas Stelzer added, "She did not have to do that, but it meant the world to me. I texted her a week or so later and thanked her for the surprise."
Both siblings said they want others to remember special and important siblings can be to each other.
"Siblings are often overlooked on wedding days [but] in my opinion they are the best part," Gabrielle Stelzer wrote.
"That video is a reminder of how special that family can be, they can pull on heart strings that you didn't even know were there," Thomas Stelzer added.