A bride who secretly chopped off her long hair between her wedding ceremony and reception got a priceless response from her guests, with her video going viral.
Kentucky-born teacher Tessa Ross, 23, married Nick Ross, 24, at Azaleana Manor in Orange Park on the St. Johns River in Florida on Nov. 4. The couple first met while studying at the University of Florida five years ago, and soon their friendship blossomed into a romance.
Mrs. Ross had always loved short hair and wore her hair short, but she grew out her brunette locks for a year before her wedding.
“I really wanted those glamorous bridal photos,” she told The Epoch Times. “When my dad first came up with the idea [of cutting my hair at the wedding] ... Nick was all for it, but my mom was vehemently against it. She thought it would take too long and that it was too big of a risk.”
However, Mrs. Ross found an amazing hairstylist that she could sneak in and who would be speedy enough.
“I knew I had to take the opportunity to surprise everyone,” Mrs. Ross said. “The only people that knew were my bridesmaids, my brother, [and] our officiant.”
“She cut it as fast as she could,” Mrs. Ross said. “She was like, ‘Do you want layers? Do you want me to curl it?’ and I was like, ‘Nope, just get it off! Let me go back to the party.’”
When Mrs. Ross’s wedding planner—who also happened to be her mom’s best friend—walked in halfway through her haircut, the whole room went into “silence.”
“On the wedding schedule, it just said ‘bridesmaid touchup,’ so I very quickly apologized for lying but told her, ‘It’s too late now, so please don’t tell my mom!’ She said, ‘You were right not to tell me, I totally would’ve ratted you out to your mom.’ She thought I was crazy,” Mrs. Ross said.
Although the hairstylist was scared, Mrs. Ross, on the contrary, was very excited and felt 10 pounds lighter once her tresses were trimmed.
Needless to say, Mrs. Ross’s big reveal did not disappoint. Shocked wedding guests’ jaws hit the floor, as can be seen in photos and footage of the special moment when the bride approaches her husband, who loved her dramatic makeover. Mrs. Ross even had to convince some guests that the long hair had been her own and not extensions.
“My husband’s uncle told me that I set the bar so high that everybody else in the family would have to ‘pull a full Britney’ and shave their head at their weddings,” Mrs. Ross said. “Everybody was really excited. They were super impressed that I could keep a secret.”
Her proud husband has been showing everyone the video of the special reveal since then.
“I came back, and it had 20 million views, so I’m glad that I was away from my phone!” Mrs. Ross said.
Due to the virality of the video, a lot of Mrs. Ross’s students already knew about her short hair when she got back to work.
“I’ve had people stop me in grocery stores, it’s been very weird,” she said. “Everybody I’ve ever known has sent it to me. I’m like, ‘Yes, I’ve seen it. I’m in it!’”
Meanwhile, Ms. Sanborn, 24, said that Mrs. Ross’s makeover was one of the most “exciting and interesting” things she has ever photographed.
“Capturing the haircut truly felt like we were in a movie makeover montage,” she told The Epoch Times. “It was happy, exciting, and fun. ... Tessa is the first client that I’ve had that has made such a bold decision on their wedding day, and I hope the video encourages more brides to do what they want, no matter how crazy others may think it is.”
Ms. Sanborn captured the true emotion of the Rosses’ wedding with her “fly-on-the-wall” approach, adding that the newlyweds were “two of the happiest people I’ve seen on their wedding day.”
“They really focused on each other, and their people, and celebrating their love,” she said. “Their wedding was truly so unique.”
