Bride and Groom Shock Wedding Guests by Shaving Their Heads on Dance Floor to Honor Bride’s Mom with Cancer
"It was an act of solidarity towards my mom's journey. Being able to share that she's not alone," bride Jony Lee tells PEOPLE
A bride and groom found a moving and unforgettable way to honor the bride's mother — who was undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer — at their wedding.
When Jony Lee and now-husband Alistair Lee took to the dance floor at their November 2020 nuptials in Kumeū, New Zealand, their 120 guests thought the newlyweds were going to be showing off their dance moves. Instead, the couple surprised everyone by shaving their heads while dressed in their wedding finery.
In a video documenting the moment shared by Jony on TikTok, she can be seen explaining to their loved ones why they decided to make the powerful gesture in support of her mom, Luna Macapagal.
"Hey, Mom. We love you so much and we want to show you our solidarity with you," an emotional Jony said as she spoke into a microphone while Alistair sat in a chair on a white sheet placed over the dance floor.
"My parents think we are going to do a traditional Filipino dance where you stick money into our clothes and blah, blah, blah to get more money," she continued. "But what we're doing, if you do have a bit of cash on you, is we are going to be shaving our heads for cancer. And whatever money you lay down in front of us we will be donating it tonight."
Related: Couple Whips Up Wedding in a Week After Groom's Mom Received Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis (Exclusive)
As their guests clapped and cheered, Jony proceeded to take a pair of clippers and buzz off Alistair's hair, while family and friends flocked over to place money around them on the floor. Then it was Jony's turn. She pulled her hair out of her elegant updo, running her hands through the long strands for the last time, and sat in the chair with a big smile as Alistair got to work.
The video poignantly ended with the newlyweds holding hands with Macapagal as the trio danced together.
Jony spoke to PEOPLE about why she and Alistair decided to shave their heads at their wedding, explaining that her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018 and then briefly went into remission after treatment but later experienced a recurrence of the disease.
"We talked about how we would shave our heads together for her next round of chemo. Instead of a next round of chemo, she was informed that she would be moving into palliative care as she was past being able to be treated," Jony recalls. "I had already had my mind set on shaving my head and thought instead I could use it as an opportunity to raise money for the Cancer Society."
Her then-fiancé needed no convincing to join her. "Alistair was quick to add that I should do it at our wedding and he would do it with me. I was shocked at first," Jony notes.
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When the time arrived, she says she felt zero apprehension about buzzing off her hair, especially after witnessing Macapagal's inspiring courage in the face of such a daunting health challenge.
"Regardless of if it was at my wedding or not, it was an act of solidarity towards my mom's journey. It takes a fraction of the strength she portrayed in her journey to shave my head," Jony explains. "Being bald is a huge visual reminder of what is happening in one's cancer journey, and it's not an easy one to accept. Being able to share that she's not alone and I'd love her no matter what is all I wanted out of this."
She says she and her parents were overcome by emotion in the moment. "Swaying to the rhythm of the atmosphere and holding my parents in my arms, tears streaming down all our faces is something I'll never forget," Jony continues.
The wedding guests were equally moved by the display of love and support between the family members. "When I looked up, everyone was in tears. It had only occurred to me at that moment that although I was doing this for my mother, cancer affects so many people. Our solidarity transcended being just for my mother but for all those who know the pain that cancer brings," she says.
For Jony, the experience was "liberating," and the rest of the wedding was a joyful celebration of family, love and life. "We danced the night away bald and full of love. I wouldn't have had it any other way," she recalls, adding, "The next day was funny when the adrenaline had passed and Alistair and I woke up next to each other bald."
Sadly, Macapagal died on Jan. 12, 2021, but Jony says her mom remains with her in spirit. "She's now peacefully resting," she says. "I've gone on to do many things I wish she could be here to witness but, I know she's watching. I miss her dearly."
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