Little brother shares heartfelt, emotional speech at sister's wedding
"I think more than 75% of people there were crying."
A 12-year-old's emotional speech at his sister's wedding has gone viral, with commenters saying it's making them tear up, too.
Videographer Jose Luis Medina of Milan Photography shared an Instagram video of Benji delivering a speech as his sister Cindy Villanueva and brother-in-law Jose Villanueva reacted, with all three growing emotional.
"I used to talk to Cindy every morning … she's like a best friend to me," Benji said in part, explaining that he would open up to his older sister about his life at school and make cookies with her regularly.
"And Jose, I want to thank you because you have been a brother to me ever since I met you. You have been so nice to me and I appreciate that a lot, and I want to wish you guys a great future," Benji continued with tears in his eyes as his sister and brother-in-law wiped away their own tears and clapped.
The Instagram video quickly caught the attention of thousands, picking up over 240,000 likes and over 1,400 comments since Aug. 29.
"Don't mind me, just over here drying my tears up," wrote one commenter.
Cindy Villanueva told "Good Morning America" she is the oldest of three siblings and her relationship with her youngest brother Benji, in particular, is "pretty close."
"I have two brothers. I asked both of them if they wanted to do a speech and surprisingly, [Benji] did, and he caught all of us by surprise," the 25-year-old bride said.
Cindy Villanueva said Benji wrote his speech off the cuff the day of her Aug. 10 wedding and told her he had been a little nervous before he shared his heartfelt message.
"He's not the type of person to really express himself, so that was another reason why I thought he caught all of us by surprise," she said, adding that she thought Benji's words were "really, really sweet."
Both Cindy and Jose Villanueva, who said they gave Benji hugs afterward, couldn't help tearing up when they heard him speak at their reception.
"I couldn't hold it in at that moment. I think more than 75% of people there were crying," Jose Villanueva told "GMA," adding that the 12-year-old's speech was "beautiful."
"I think it hit me a lot when he said that I am like a best friend to him and that I understand him," Cindy Villanueva added. "As the oldest, I kind of felt that responsibility to be that person for him, so immediately, as soon as I heard that, that's when the ugly cry came out, and it was a very nice feeling."
Cindy Villanueva said even though she and Benji no longer live together, they still keep in touch often. She also encouraged others to remain close with their own family members.
"What I would want people to know is keep a close relationship with your siblings," she said. "Be there for your siblings, because at the end of the day, family's what's most important."
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