When you think of famous weddings, you probably have a long list of celebrity names in mind. But through the rising popularity of YouTube and other social media sites, we have seen couples who lead normal lives away from stardom suddenly thrust into the public eye. This may be through viral dance videos, hilarious drunk toasts from the groomsmen, or touching stories.
Leizel and Rowden
We were especially stricken by a recent wedding story and video about a couple from the Philippines. Rowden and Leizel started as friends and had an instant bond; eventually, they began dating. She gave birth to a little girl, and their marriage date was set — they had a perfect start to their life together. Unexpectedly, Rowden was shortly-after diagnosed with stage IV liver cancer, and the marriage they had once envisioned transformed into a hospital wedding. They had little time to think about the logistics. Leizel wed Rowden bedside, and 10 hours later he passed.
As a way to relieve the heartache you may feel regarding the emotional hospital wedding of Leizel and Rowden, we move to a lighter note and discuss couples who gained fame through dance numbers performed at their wedding that went viral.
James and Julia
James and Julia Derbyshire from the United Kingdom have gained stardom from their dirty dancing wedding video. The video is on YouTube, and nearly 9.9 million viewers have tuned in! Their dance was based off the famous film “Dirty Dancing,” and they reenacted the dance routine to “The Time of My Life.” Their guests got involved, too, and started dancing with them! Everyone was cheering and laughing at their spot-on routine. Oprah Winfrey even had them on her show, and they got to meet “Dirty Dancing” star Patrick Swayze.
Jill and Kevin
Similar to the Derbyshires, Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinz gained instant stardom from their wedding when it hit YouTube. Their wedding entrance featured their bridesmaids and groomsmen dancing down the altar to the song “Forever” by Chris Brown. Although it was uploaded to YouTube in 2009, today in 2014 it has been viewed over 86 million times! The couple was also invited onto The Today Show to reenact the dance with their bridal party.