Bride stuns groom with vows in his first language she secretly learned

A bride’s fleeting thought turned into a touching surprise for the groom at their wedding.
While planning the ceremony, Michelle thought it would be fun to say the last line of her vows in Armenian to surprise her soon-to-be husband, Shahan.
One line in Armenian soon turned into several. Then, Michelle had another realization.
“If I’m going to learn Armenian to say these vows,” she said. “I thought I might as well start learning it properly.”
Knowing Shahan wanted to pass down his mother tongue to their future children, Michelle secretly began Armenian lessons about four months before the wedding.
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Since Shahan worked from home as a software engineer, Michelle had to sneak away to the recreation room of their complex to take online lessons with her tutor, Shushan, who taught Western Armenian.
Through diligent study, Michelle learned foundational vocabulary, grammar, common phrases, and the Armenian alphabet. By the time her tutor was helping her translate the vows, she had already learned how to read and write using the Armenian alphabet.
“Keeping everything a secret from Shahan and his entire family for those four months was probably the hardest part about everything,” Michelle said. “I wanted to share what I was learning so badly and there were times where I understood some things they were saying, but I had to keep a poker face.”
Michelle’s determination to maintain the surprise was so strong that she didn’t even tell her friends and family. Instead, she confided in her Armenian coworkers, who repeatedly listened to her rehearse her vows.
On the big day, Michelle felt surprisingly calm.
“It might have been the adrenaline, but I was just so excited for Shahan to learn about what I had been working on for so long,” she said. “I knew that even if I didn’t say everything perfectly, what would matter the most to Shahan was the effort and meaning behind it.”
Watch the video above to see the moving moment Michelle left Shahan and their guests in tears!
“His reaction was so raw and emotional that I saw how the meaning of what I had done really struck him to his core,” she said. “It filled me with so much love and joy and it made all the months of practicing and hiding absolutely worth it.”
The couple recently welcomed their daughter, Ayla, into the world. And a significant part of their journey now involves immersing her in their Armenian and Filipino roots.
“We’ll speak as much Armenian as we can at home and with Shahan’s family so she can pick it up and I can continue to learn and improve,” Michelle said. “She’ll also be having all the Armenian dishes at her grandparents’ house and lots of Filipino cooking at home and with my side of the family.”
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