Most people aim to make their wedding experience a unique one for their guests to remember.
Aaliyah and Benjamin Armstrong, who got married in January in Auckland, New Zealand, will never forget theirs.
A video posted on Facebook shows wedding guests performing a surprise haka, or traditional Maori war dance, for the couple. The dance, unique to the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, is a way to welcome special guests and is characterized by yelling, body-slapping, stomping, jumping and exaggerated facial expressions. The 21-year-old bride is shown crying tears of joy during the intense dance.
"We knew that they'd organized a haka, but not (to) that scale," Aaliyah Armstong told CNN. "And with my best friend jumping in as well, it turned out to be a bit of a surprise."
She continued:
"I love my Maori side, but this time, (watching a haka) was different, knowing they were doing it for me and my husband. It was a blessing to be part of it."
The haka is common at special occasions in New Zealand. The bride said it was a sign of respect from the best man and family, and not an attempt to intimidate the groom.
At the end of the haka, the newlyweds join in on the dance in an attempt to show their thanks.
"I wasn't planning on jumping in until one bridesmaid did," Aaliyah told the BBC. "I felt the need to show love and respect back. (It's) such an honor to have these amazing men and this amazing woman in my life show their love for us like this. I was really blown away."
After the haka is finished, Benjamin can be seen thanking the dancers by touching his forehead to theirs, a traditional Maori greeting.
Aaliyah told the BBC that many people who have viewed the video don't realize that her husband is a Maori because of his fair skin.
"Because he has fair skin, some people have been saying on social media that 'he'd better not hurt the bride', but they're actually his family," she said. "He is probably more Maori than I am."
The video has been viewed more than 24.2 million times on Facebook.
