A Southern California woman had a very special first dance with her father on the day of her wedding.
Riannon Trutanich VanSciver always talked to her mother about how she would feature a family film of her and her father dancing in their family room together.
So, when Trutanich VanSciver, 32, tied the knot with her husband on Oct, 16, 2021, in the Town and Gown ballroom at the University of Southern California, her mom made it happen.
"I told my dad before the wedding that we were going to have the video playing during our father daughter dance," Trutanich VanSciver exclusively tells PEOPLE. "He cried and then I cried! We practiced a few times before the big day. He had me hold his thumb with my hand just like I did in the original video."
"The video is from March 9, 1993 and I was 2 years and 4 months old," she adds. "My dad told me just the other day he was leaving for a work trip the next morning so I’m guessing that’s why I was up past my bedtime!"
Trutanich VanSciver goes on to say that "It was taken in the family room at my parent’s house. I took my first steps in that same room and lived in that home until I got married."
She reflects: "I feel the video being in that house in the place I spent (and still spend) so many moments of my life was a great representation of my childhood."
For her dad's birthday last week, Trutanich VanSciver posted a video on TikTok that quickly went viral.
"I showed my dad the TikTok (in the same room the original video was filmed. He was so excited! He sent it to all of his friends and showed his co-workers. He said it was the best birthday present!" she says.
"People have been so amazing and kind," she adds about the video's widespread reach. "I have loved connecting with people through the video. The sweet words and the way they relate to the video is so beautiful. I feel the video and the responses from people truly encapsulate the human experience in the best way! It is so heartwarming to have people feeling the way I do about time and growing up and the bittersweetness of it all. The way the video has resonated with so many people is beyond amazing."
Trutanich VanSciver is in tears each time she thinks back on that unforgettable moment at her wedding.
"I remember looking back and forth at the video and then at my dad. My emotions ranged from being so elated and blessed to have this moment with my dad to bittersweet about the passage of time and growing up," she says. "My mom and I picked out a small music box that played Tale As Old As Time for me to give him after we finished the dance."
Trutanich VanSciver adds: "The only people who knew before the wedding were my dad, my mom and my husband. We wanted it to be a surprise for our guests! My mom, husband and I tested the video a few weeks before the wedding with the team at the venue and we all cried!"
"It was surreal and emotional to say the least!" she notes. "My dad gave his speech right before the dance so I was already crying before I even got up there to dance with him. As soon as I heard the video start and my little voice say 'when we done with this,' I absolutely lost it."
Take a look at Trutanich VanSciver's TikTok video below.
Source: People