One bride and groom in New Zealand had a wedding-day surprise in store for the mother of the bride. In 2018, Luna Macapagal was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. What followed was a barrage of treatments and medications, including chemo and radiation.  As so often is the case with cancer treatments, Luna’s hair fell out due to the chemotherapy.

Her daughter, Jony, was set to marry her fiancé Alistair on November 21. Jony, who has beautiful long black hair and had told Alistair she wanted to shave her hair as a sign of solidarity and support for her mother. Alistair loved the idea, but had an even better one. He suggested Jony, 20, wait until their wedding reception, and then the two could shave their heads together. Jony didn’t hesitate to agree.

By the day of the wedding, Luna’s hair was just beginning to grow back in, and she was still very sick. Her health was not improving, and the family was just grateful she had been strong enough to attend her daughter’s wedding.

After a beautiful ceremony held at the Allely Estate in Kumeu in which Luna helped walk her daughter down the aisle, the celebration moved to the reception where the couple took the floor for their first dance. Afterwards, the two surprised their guests by placing a chair on the dance floor where Alistair took a seat and Jony set to shaving his head.

The guests were stunned, and a mixture of laughter and tears filled the room. But the atmosphere suddenly became very somber and emotional when Jony switched places with Alistair, where he took the clippers and began slowly removing his bride’s beautiful locks.

Before the wedding, the couple met with their wedding photographers Pia and Anaru Church of Songbirds Photography where they shared the details of their planned surprise. Of the meeting Anaru shared with the NEW ZEALAND HERALD:

“From the initial meet we knew these two were pretty special, especially after they explained the plans for the wedding day. Even in the initial meet we were like balling our eyes out, I think we cried like three times during the initial meeting because we were so blown away by these two.”

In the Filipino culture, after the newly married couple’s first dance, the couple and the guests participate in a “money dance,” where guests would give the couple money in exchange for a dance with the bride or groom. While having their heads shaved, the couple announced that instead of a money dance they would be collecting donations for a cancer society charity, where their guests ended up donating $3,350.

Of the emotional moment, Anuru Church said:

“You had the shaving of the head, you had mum crying in the background, you had all the relatives cheering, crying ruffling through their wallets to find money. There was emotion happening at every angle.”

Sadly, Luna passed away on January 12 of this year. Every time Jony looks in the mirror, she has a stark reminder of the mother she misses so deeply. But she also has a reminder of the love she and her new husband were able to express to their mother in her final days:

“We were so happy to see how happy and proud it made her,” she shared. “We didn’t really know what to expect but we were so happy in the moment.