Groom’s Unexpected Wedding Day Gesture Brings Entire Bridal Party to Tears

In a heartwarming gesture, Austin Dunsmuir wrote personal letters to his bride Mikayla’s closest loved ones on the morning of their wedding

A man raised the bar for wedding day gestures in a way that left an entire room in tears.

When Austin Dunsmuir decided to write personalized letters for each of the people his bride, Mikayla, really valued to open on the morning of their wedding, he didn’t just surprise a handful of people — he created a ripple of love that’s now gone viral on TikTok.

“I’m going to try not to get emotional,” Mikayla Dunsmuir laughs, recalling to us the moment she learned about Austin’s plan. “We’ve been together for about four-and-a-half, five years now.”

She adds, “The friends I included in my bridal party, we’ve all been friends together for so long. Some of them have been there before we even got together, through every step of the relationship. He’s also seen me have not-so-great friends in my life, so he really appreciates these amazing women that are in my life now.”

The now-viral TikTok clip, which shows the letters being opened, is overlaid with the simple but powerful text: “When the groom writes letters to the bridesmaids and the bride’s parents to open the morning of the wedding.”

In the caption, Mikayla writes, “Nothing makes me happier than the love my husband has for the people in my life, and the love they’ve always shown him. This was truly such a special touch to our wedding day. My family.”

Austin’s idea was born out of countless conversations about the people who shaped Mikayla’s world. “He saw just how much care they put into my bridal year, how special they made everything for me. They really just went above and beyond, you know, for my bridal shower, for my bachelorette trip,” she shares.

“I was like, I really want to do something special for them for the wedding, just something that no one else does,” Mikayla adds. “And he was like, ‘What if I wrote them something from my perspective of your friendship and it’s a surprise?’ And I was like, immediately, yes. That is so special. I mean, I’ve never seen that done before.”

The list of recipients quickly grew. “We had to include our parents and grandma and everything, too — everyone had to be included. So everyone was: his mom, my mom, my dad, my grandma, our ring bearers, the bridesmaids and the maid of honor.”

Mikayla only saw a few of the letters as Austin wrote them, but even those left her deeply moved. “The ones I did see made me so emotional. My maid of honor sent me a picture the next day of her letter. She was like, ‘I’m reading it again and I’m sobbing.’ ”

In a surprise move, there were letters — unrelated — for the bride, too. “When I first got to the venue, everyone was there. My maid of honor told me to close my eyes, and she puts on my lap this giant scrapbook of letters from my family, my bridesmaids, everyone in my wedding party,” she shares. “Everyone wrote a really long letter, it was just so unbelievable.”

Mikayla adds, “Then I said, ‘Everyone open the letter from Austin at the same time, because I wanted to just see everyone’s reaction at the same time.’ I was just happy seeing them be so emotional toward our relationship and toward him.”

For Mikayla, the gesture was more than just a sweet surprise — it was a reflection of Austin’s character.

“He’s honestly just such a kind-hearted, selfless angel, and he just has so much love to give,” Mikayla shares. “I really just think he’s one of a kind, and he’s such an empathetic and genuine person. I love that some people are getting to see that now because he’s a very private person.”

The letters didn’t just touch the recipients — they brought everyone closer. “I think just the entire year of being engaged and planning the wedding has brought all of us to a different level of closeness and love. You really know who’s in your corner. I’ve really seen who my people are,” she notes.

One moment that stood out above all was the letter Austin wrote to Mikayla’s dad, which he read aloud at the wedding.

“Their bond is very special. Austin grew up without a father, so my dad has been like the closest thing to a father for him. We wanted to make a moment of the day about him and let everyone know how much we love him,” she shares.

In all, the Dunsmuir’s wedding was exactly what Mikayla had always envisioned, down to the man she chose to spend the rest of her life with.