Yahoo Lifestyle Groom, Wedding Party in Tears After 8-Year-Old Makes Surprise Speech at Mom's Wedding — and His Message Goes Viral (Exclusive)
Kayla Sharp tells PEOPLE she had no idea what her son planned to say when he asked to speak at the reception
Kayla Sharp's 8-year-old son, Lincoln, touched the hearts of all of her wedding guests when he gave an emotional — yet humorous — speech at her wedding reception
Wedding videographer Arturo Jimenez shared footage of the speech online, and more than 12 million viewers got to share in the sweet moment as well
Sharp tells PEOPLE she and new husband Spencer had no idea what their child was going to say before he took the mic, but they were just as captivated as the rest of the partygoers
Kayla Sharp and her husband, Spencer, were treated to an emotional surprise when Sharp's 8-year-old son, Lincoln, took the mic at their wedding reception. And after moving the whole wedding party to tears, the kid brought it home with some sweet comic relief.
Wedding videographer Arturo Jimenez captured the moment and shared it in a now-viral TikTok post with 1.5 million likes and more than 12 million views on the app. The video begins with Lincoln offering some heartfelt words about his mom and stepdad.
"These two people in my life have been so good with me. They have made my life better," Lincoln says as the camera cuts to the newlyweds. Spencer drops his head into his hands while his stepson continues, "I'm just saying that without these two, my life wouldn't be my life."
After taking some emotional breaths, Lincoln brings the message home with crowd-pleasing bravado: "Anyway, to wrap it up, I love everyone here. Thank you all for coming," he finishes. His audience bursts into laughter, but Lincoln keeps all hearts warmed when he runs to the couple and wraps them in an embrace.
Sharp tells PEOPLE that all of her reactions were genuine; she and Spencer had no idea what Lincoln planned to say during his toast, but they trusted him with the honor of speaking last.
"Two days before the wedding, we were talking about the order that everyone was going to give their speech. Lincoln overheard us talking about it, and he's like, 'Can I give a speech?' " she recalls. "I was like, 'Yeah. Do you know what you want to say?' And he's like, 'Yeah, I think so.' "
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The proud mom adds, "That was the only conversation we had about his speech. And then he went up and just gave that speech, and we were like, 'Oh my God.' "
As can be seen in the video, Sharp sat facing away from her husband and their guests, so she didn't immediately notice how much her son's speech affected everyone.
"I didn't even realize the way that Spencer was crying behind me ... I didn't even realize that he was crying that much because I was just so enveloped in Lincoln talking," the bride recalls. She says that all of her guests had kind words to say about her son after his captivating performance, including Jimenez and the wedding's photographer, Autumn Agrella.
"They were like, 'Kayla, this is the most emotional wedding that we've ever done,' " Sharp says of her conversation with the video and photo team. "[Autumn] was like, 'Sometimes the close family and close friends will be crying, but literally everyone was crying.' "
Millions of TikTok viewers shared in the awe too, with many voicing their appreciation for Lincoln's "old soul."
"The emotional intelligence but ALSO the public speaking skills are insane!" one user wrote in response to the 48-second clip. Another called the 8-year-old "an angel in a mullet."
Lincoln's retro-style hair is indeed a testament to his character, and Sharp tells PEOPLE he's been growing it for almost two years. "He goes hard for that mullet. He wants to keep it for as long as he can," says his mom.
At one point, the impressive youngster matched his stepdad with the haircut, though Spencer cut his mullet a year earlier for a friend's wedding. The spunky 'do is just one of a few testaments to Lincoln and Spencer's special relationship. Lincoln was the ring bearer at his mother's California nuptials, but then he stood up by his stepfather with the other groomsmen.
"He was right by his side through the whole ceremony," says Sharp.
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