The woman’s brother got engaged at her wedding

After I left, one of my former colleagues told him I had a crush on him. He was surprised – Kenrick said to my colleague, “There’s no way. She was really shy and quiet.” Despite his surprise, he decided to take action and sent me a LinkedIn message just saying hello. It may have been just a casual welcome message, but I was head over heels for him, so his message meant a lot to me.

We connected on LinkedIn around the time he was actually going overseas to Singapore for 18 months. He organized a going away party to which he invited me. Attending his going away party allowed us to facilitate a friendship that turned into long distance dating while he was in Singapore and we’ve been together ever since.

Kenrick and I bought a house together in October 2017 and he proposed on New Year’s Eve at our house in front of family and friends – it was pretty intimate.

My brother and I are extremely close

Growing up, my brother Andrew Matamoros and I were always very close. He is my best friend. My parents made sure to instill a close relationship between us. They said, “At the end of the day, no matter what happens, you’re going to have each other.”

I had had conversations with Andrew about popping the question to his then-girlfriend of seven years, Jinnese Matamoros, 39, but after I got engaged, I said, “Dude, you have to pop the question at our wedding.”

At first, Andrew was pretty adamant that his answer was no. He insisted it was my special day and didn’t want to take it away, but I was also adamant. I said, “She won’t see it coming. No one will see it coming. It’s the perfect opportunity.” Two months before he got the ring, he finally said, “Okay, let’s do it.” I was planning a wedding and he was planning an engagement.

The rest of my bridal party, apart from Jinnese, now my sister-in-law, knew about the surprise. And my brother and my husband knew, of course, and the wedding photographer and the photographer were involved to be able to capture the moment. But when I say no one else knew what was coming, I mean no one.

Throwing the bouquet turned into a surprise proposal

Kenrick and I got married on September 15th, 2018. We were so excited for our big day. But I was so happy to share the day with my brother and now his wife.

We only had around 80 guests, mostly friends. I remember Jinnese saying, “Your brother seems gone today.” I said, “Oh, he’s just nervous.”

After the ceremony ended, I went to the reception. During the bouquet toss, instead of throwing the flowers to the general crowd, I gave them directly to Jinnese. The other bridesmaids made sure they were up front and then gave the spotlight to Jinnese when the moment came, which allowed my brother to slide in and get down on one knee.

There was about five minutes of silence because Andrew was very nervous and struggling to find words, and Jinnese was completely shocked. When Andrew found the words and asked Jinnese to marry him, it only took a few seconds.

However, the next day she said, “Wait, did we really get engaged at your wedding?” I said, “Yes, you did.”

I was happy to share the spotlight

Everyone applauded and congratulated them. Don’t get me wrong – it was my special day and the best day ever, but I was also focused on my brother’s surprise engagement and trying to make it happen. After he popped the question during the reception, everyone we knew was able to relax, enjoy the moment, and celebrate each other. Andrew and Jinnese married the following year in June 2019.

We are all very close and spend time together almost every two weeks. Kenrick and I have four children, ages 19, 17, 11, and 7. Andrew and Jinnese have three children, ages 15, 11 and 18 months. All of our kids are also very close with their cousins, whether they’re helping each other with homework or Facetime asking about each other’s first day of school.

The surprise proposal video gained a lot of traction on TikTok, but also received some negative comments. When I posted the video, I included a text explaining that he was my brother and I helped plan the surprise, but not everyone read it. So people jumped to conclusions and asked, “Why would you share your day with someone? That’s stealing your thunder.” I know some people didn’t get the general context and just shrugged it off.

I don’t regret it at all, though. Kenrick and I wanted him to be a part of our special day. I wouldn’t have shared my wedding day with anyone else.

Do you have an interesting personal story about your marriage or relationship? Get in touch with [email protected].