Tessa Chavez’s brothers made sure she had the perfect wedding day, despite some missing family members on the dance floor.
Unsupportive of his daughter’s sexual orientation, the bride’s father was absent when she marriedher wife, Cyn Wang. Though Chavez wasn’t able to experience a traditional father-daughter dance, her loyal siblings Guillermo and Diego took the opportunity to celebrate their sister themselves.
Wang shared footage from their special family moment in anow-viral TikTok postwith 1.8 million views.
“My father-in-law is very religious, and he did not attend our wedding. My wife was devastated, but she tried not to show it,” Wang wrote alongside the video, which featured clips from their October 2023 ceremony in Mexico City, Chavez’s hometown.
Guillermo, Tessa and Diego Chavez.Bridget Burnett
Bridget Burnett
The San Francisco-based couple tells PEOPLE that they weren’t surprised when most of Chavez’s paternal family members declined to attend their nuptials.
Tessa Chavez and Cyn Wang.Bridget Burnett
“We expected that based on their personal and religious beliefs, but extended invitations to them in hopes that they would show up for one of the most important days of our lives,” Wang says, noting that Chavez’s father never actually responded to their wedding invite.
“As Tessa’s wife, it’s been heartbreaking to see her process this pain and rejection when she has done nothing wrong," Wang continues. “It is very clear that Tessa’s dad has a belief system that does not approve of our sexual orientation and relationship. We hope one day he will find it in his heart to rebuild a relationship with us.”
Tessa Chavez and Cyn Wang.Summit and Sur Photography
Summit and Sur Photography
Wang has never met her father-in-law, and he hasn’t communicated with Chavez since she got engaged, “despite Tessa’s multiple efforts to reconnect,” says Wang, an attorney and former U.S. diplomat who currently manages her family business and serves asSan Francisco’s Entertainment Commissioner.
Once they realized their father wouldn’t be there to dance, Chavez and her brothers started planning an alternative. But Wang says the trio didn’t rehearse the magical moment that garnered over 255,000 likes on social media.
“The Chavez siblings are all very talented dancers and didn’t even need any practice beforehand. It would be hard for our guests not to have felt the tender and special sibling dynamic that they share,” Wang tells PEOPLE. “You can hear in our video everyone cheering and clapping!”
Chavez — who works in financial technology — is close with all of her siblings, but over the past few years they’ve followed their dreams to different countries and haven’t been able to see each other very often.
“The wedding was especially momentous for us because all four of Tessa’s siblings came, flying from all over the world, from as far as Hamburg, Germany, and Melbourne, Australia,” says the couple.
Tessa Chavez' and her family.Bridget Burnett
She adds, “The song’s message is very uplifting; it encourages everyone to follow their dreams, overcome obstacles and never give up hope.”
Tessa Chavez, Sloane Wang and Cyn Wang.Bridget Burnett
Likewise, Wang and Chavez tell PEOPLE that they “try to have a gratitude mindset” in regard to their family dynamics. Both women have new in-laws and family members to love — Chavez has even become a stepmom to Wang’s 10-year-old daughter, Sloane.
“We are grateful for the family and friends who did attend [the wedding], including Tessa’s mom and siblings, cousins and aunts and uncles, and my parents, sisters and family,” explains Wang, who adds that her family has been “nothing but accepting of our sexuality and relationship."
source: people.com
