Two people coming together to publicly declare their love, uniting as one for the remainder of their years through sickness and in health, and whatever else may arise— all in all, a wedding is an emotional time for everyone who gets the opportunity to witness it.
Shellie Lopes Boulanger’s wedding, however, was even more emotionally charged than anyone could have anticipated, thanks to a touching surprise from her two daughters, Angelina and Aubrey.
Shellie’s 8-year-old daughter Aubrey suffers from Spinal Muscular Dystrophy, described by Medline Plus as “a genetic disease that attacks nerve cells […] in the spinal cord”, which ultimately leads to a weakening of voluntary muscle movement.
However, Aubrey’s 12-year-old sister Angelina, described by MSN as an “avid performer,” could not let the opportunity for a performance pass her by, choreographing a duet, dance routine so poignant, that it has left the internet sobbing.
The routine begins with Angelina, dressed in an angelic, white dance ensemble, wheeling a flower-crowned Aubrey to the dance floor. The little girl’s wheel chair is adorned with sheer white ribbons, and you can easily make out the lyrics to Christina Perry’s “A Thousand Years” playing in the background.
Mom Shellie describes the experience to MSN, explaining, “It was after the mother-and-son dance, and the DJ said there was still one very special performance to come. I had absolutely no idea; they had been practicing it without me knowing.”
As the soft ballad plays, Angelina places her sister’s wheelchair in the middle of the dance floor, beginning her routine in the candlelit room.
As the young girl dances, her body twists and turns gracefully to the rhythm of the music, bending with fluid-like motions around Aubrey’s decorated chair.
After a verse or so, Angelina grabs hold of the chair, pirouetting with her disabled sister, allowing Aubrey to take center stage.
Meanwhile, Perri sings, “Time stands still, beauty in all she is.”
Towards the end of the routine, Angelina grabs her sister’s hand, lovingly giving it a kiss.
And as the camera pans out, there is not a dry eye in the place.
It turns out the girls’ mother wasn’t the only one hit hard by the powerful performance. Shellie tells MSN, “So many different people came up to me during the wedding and it said it was one of the most special things they’d ever witnessed.”
“It was just a very beautiful moment,” she continues. “I wish I could re-live it for the first time all over again.”
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