On her wedding day, Aniyah Gordon wished for nothing more than her late mom's presence.
Gordon's mother, Aichia Divine Stanislaus, died in 2021, but the 29-year-old from Northern Virginia found a way to include her in the August 2024 wedding ceremony anyway, playing an old voicemail Stanislaus had left for Gordon years earlier.
The touching moment was shared on TikTok in October last year and has since garnered 1.1 million views.
In the video, Gordon and others at the wedding can be seen holding back tears as Stanislaus' voice is heard in the recording telling her daughter in part, "I love you so much ... You're such an awesome kid. You make me proud every day."
3-year-old shares adorably sweet message before dad marries momGordon told "Good Morning America" that the decision to include the voicemail was a last-minute one.
"I really felt like her energy wrapped around me, and I'm glad that God allowed me to remember the video and for it to be so perfect, because it was literally what I needed," she said.
Stanislaus died from a heart attack at the age of 41, and while her life was shorter than expected, Gordon said they "loved hard," adding that they were best friends and often talked on the phone for hours.
"When we didn't answer each other's calls, we either texted each other or left a voicemail, just because we're extra like that," she said.
The voicemail in the TikTok video was one of many Stanislaus left for her daughter, according to Gordon, who said the recording touched those in attendance at her wedding, as well as TikTok users who viewed her post later.
Daughter surprises mom with cap and gown she didn't get to wear over 40 years ago"I'm glad that even through the video, people were able to feel her energy, like, leaving comments saying how soft her voice was and how angelic it was and how comforting it was for them, even in their [own] loss and their grief," Gordon said.
She said that despite her mom's absence, she had a great wedding and was happy she was able to include Stanislaus in the ceremony.
"I'm glad that even without her being here, she was still able to make that impact. And I just remind myself that even though I'm in loss, I'm not in lack," she said.
"I still have the love and support of her and those around me, and I can feel how much she poured out to other people, because they continuously pour out to me, and it's been amazing."
