Bride's Father Refused to Attend Her LGBTQ+ Wedding. Then Her Brothers Stepped In with Sweet Surprise (Exclusive)

Tessa Chavez had her two brothers' support in lieu of a father-daughter dance at her wedding to wife Cyn Wang

• Tessa Chavez's father disapproved of her sexual orientation and refused to attend his daughter's wedding

• Her brothers, Guillermo and Diego, stepped up to dance with Chavez in lieu of a traditional father-daughter dance

• Chavez's wife, Cyn Wang, shared footage of their special sibling moment on TikTok
  

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 married her 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 a now-viral TikTok post with 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.

The TikTok montage showed older brother Guillermo grooving with Chavez before they were joined by “little bro and my wife’s best friend, Diego,” as Wang describes in the video’s overlaying text.

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.

“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."

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 as San 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.

The sibling dance may have been born of painful circumstances, but Chavez’s ever-protective, highly supportive brothers leaned into the joy of her wedding and their sibling reunion with a meaningful soundtrack. They danced to "Sueños” by Diego Torres, a song “that reflects their values, who they are and how they connect with each other,” says Wang.

She adds, “The song’s message is very uplifting; it encourages everyone to follow their dreams, overcome obstacles and never give up hope.”

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."

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