With the rise of the internet has come the rise of the “flash mob.”
Because the internet has so much power to show the world inspiring performances and to organize people, it makes sense why this would be the case—but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Put simply, a flash mob is a large public gathering of people for the purpose of performing some kind of random or unusual act. In general, these flash mobs do performances that are explicitly meant to be viewed and shared on social media.
Still, as our story today shows, these videos come in all different shapes and sizes.
This one started when Tricia and Neil Swan had gathered at a Catholic church for their wedding ceremony.
For anyone who hasn’t been to a Catholic wedding, they tend to differ somewhat from Protestant or secular weddings in a few important ways. For one thing, while Protestant weddings may have religious overtones and some readings from the Bible, Catholic weddings are much longer—each one constitutes a full mass in addition to the vows! On the other hand, Catholic mass, in general, tends to be a bit more stoic and controlled than some Protestant services as well.
Still, this family wanted to prove that Catholic weddings could be just as exciting as any other.
To accomplish this goal, the family decided to stage their own surprise “flash mob” right inside the church!
The sweet video was recorded by wedding videographer Simon Barr. It all starts with the bride and groom standing in front of the altar. The priest is singing a “How Great Thou Art,” a beautiful hymn that fills the air. Though everything seems to be going normally, someone in the back row starts to stand up. As it turns out, it’s another guest at the wedding joining in on the song!
Shortly after the first man stands up, so does another and another!
In no time at all, seven or eight people have stood up and are making their way to the front of the church—but it’s still not over.
Once all the men take their place as a choir, the women get their chance to start standing up as well. It begins with one or two women before more join in. By the end of the song, the bride and groom are surrounded by a full chorus of beautiful voices singing their song. At the very end, everyone hits the final note and the song is finally over.
Needless to say, both the bride and the groom have tears in their eyes!
When it’s all over, the entire congregation gets on their feet and gives everyone a huge round of applause!
While this flash mob may be a bit different than some are used to, it has still earned itself some eight million views on YouTube. Still, this is definitely not the first time that a family has planned to do a flash mob at a wedding and has gotten internet fame from it. Though the Catholic one is a little more restrained and calm, the possibilities are really only limited by imagination—just as this next one shows!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGY-fjVy-6Y
This one happened at Calvary Chapel Church in Lake Arrowhead, California.
While it’s already quite a lot of planning to execute a flash mob to just one song, the logistics involved in this one really boggle the mind. That’s because this bridal party decided to use 10 songs in their performance! It all starts out with one couple dancing before another groomsman gets in the action. After that, the two men do some impressive tricks and dance moves together! Many more dancers come out in many more combinations. By the end, everyone is on the dance floor together doing choreography.
When it’s finally over, everyone puts their arms on each other’s shoulders and hits a few final moves together.
Obviously, this flash mob took a ton of planning and resources—but as the Catholic clip shows, they can come in so many varieties.
A wedding is one of the most important days in anyone’s life. While there are the obvious responsibilities of the legal paperwork, the vows and other planning for the ceremony, it’s nice to see these families mixing it up by adding something fun and memorable into the middle of the proceedings. While some people want to be a little more flashy, others want to be a little more heartfelt and conservative. No matter what you’re into, we say if you’re considering doing a flash mob of your own, go for it!
Congratulations to both of these happy couples! Be sure to check out the full video of the touching Catholic flash mob below:
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