Overview

• Joe and Tori Taylor invited 95 guests to their son Billy’s christening at Studley Parish Church on July 19; only their parents, best man and maid of honour were told about the wedding plan in advance.
• Ten minutes after seating, Tori walked down the aisle in a wedding dress, eliciting audible gasps and tears from family and friends, with grandparents especially moved.
• Karl Mitchell of Mitchell Films captured the moment on video and posted it online, where the clip has garnered more than 600,000 likes and heartfelt reactions from viewers around the world.
• The couple said they spent three months planning the joint ceremony to unite as a family without the pressures of a traditional wedding.
• Following the surprise nuptials, Billy’s christening and the family reception proceeded as planned, and regional press coverage has since expanded the story into a viral social-media phenomenon.