Bride Shaves Her Head At Her Wedding In ‘Solidarity’ With Her Sick Mother

Apr 12, 2023

A beautiful couple in New Zealand got married in a stunning ceremony in the year 2020. While the love they have for each other was incredibly apparent, the love the two of them shared for the bride’s mother was even more amazing to witness. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer, the bride’s mother went through a rollercoaster ride of a health journey to help keep her cancer at bay. Having endured surgery and chemotherapy, the mother went to the wedding to support her daughter and new son-in-law. To show their own support for the strong-willed woman, the bride and groom decided to shave their heads after their first dance as a married couple.

Jony and Alistair Lee, the happily married couple, both looked incredible the day of their wedding, but they decided to switch up their hairstyles to show some love and support for Jony’s mother, Luna Macapagal. While Macapagal rocked a bald head as she was well into her tough battle with ovarian cancer, Jony and Alistair thought it would be a great idea to match her look to show just how much this mother meant to the two of them and that she was not alone in her fight.

Entering their new life together, Jony and Alistair proved to be beautiful both inside and out with their immense amount of compassion and affection for the bride’s mother. Their makeovers had a powerful message as they made sure to let Macapagal know that she always had someone there to support her and cheer her on.

“We love you so much, and we want to show our, what’s the word, solidarity to you,” Jony told her mother just moments before she and her husband geared up to shave their heads. Inside Edition reported that it was actually Alistair’s idea to shave their heads to show some support to Macapagal, and to let her know that she was not alone in her fight against cancer. 

According to Inside Edition, Macapagal was completely unaware of her daughter and son-in-law’s surprise, and she was floored by their extraordinary selflessness as a wave of overwhelming emotions swept over her. Jony shaved Alistair’s dark wavy hair away, and left him with a perfectly bald head. After he received his new look, Alistair did the same to his wife and shaved off her gorgeous long locks. Their kind makeovers happened just minutes after their first dance together. 

Jony explained that it is tradition for loved ones to stick money in your clothes during the first dance at a Filipino wedding, as it represents wealth and abundance. Instead, the couple encouraged their guests to throw money at them while they had their heads shaved. The money that the newlyweds received the day of their wedding was not going into their own bank account, but instead to a non-profit cancer society in New Zealand, according to Inside Edition. 

The news outlet reported that Macapagal passed away two months after Jony and Alistair got married, and the couple kept the mother’s memory alive by setting up an online drive to help raise awareness and to help others who are also affected by the hardships of cancer.

Looking back on the kind gesture, Jony talked about what led her and her now-husband to shave their heads in solidarity with her mother. They became engaged when Jony was just 20 and did not expect to get married so soon. Alistair was sure to ask Macapagal for permission first.

“He (Alistair) asked my mum for her permission and she was like, ‘yes let’s do it,’” Jony said. She explained how Alistair mentioned the idea of shaving their heads and said, “When Alistair proposed to me he was like why don’t we do it at the wedding.” Jony said she had “no anxiety” or “bad thoughts” about it and was happy to do something for her mom.

The wedding photographer, Anaru Church, said there was an “infectious atmosphere.” He added, “There was emotion happening at every angle.”

Jony took to Facebook to talk more about the occasion. She revealed that she had previously made a promise to her mother that the next time Macapagal lost her hair due to chemo, Jony would shave her own hair. “She was thrilled. She loved the idea of it,” Jony said.

Jony and Alistair got married just four weeks after getting engaged to ensure Macapagal would be able to celebrate with them and as a way to “honor her.”

She admitted that she and her husband “never realized” the “impact” that shaving their heads would have on the wedding guests. Jony continued: “Cancer affects literally everyone. It can affect so many people. It has affected so many people. And I never realized the impact of what we were doing was going to be so tremendous.”

Jony concluded that she was “so glad” she got to share the experience with her mom prior to her passing.

What did you think about this surprising act of kindness from this bride and groom? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones, too.