If you’ve ever been to a wedding before, then you know that no wedding is complete without an unexpected surprise or two.

No matter how or what you have planned, there are just too many other factors that are out of your control. Sometimes, that’s a good thing, because it allows for touching surprises like this one.

Just about every wedding ceremony allows a brief window of time for anyone with objections to state them. Generally, the entire assembly stays dead silent when the priest asks if anyone objects to the union. One Portugal wedding came with an odd twist at this moment, though.

Rather than someone from the crowd objecting, it was the groom who interrupted his own wedding ceremony.

Jessica and Jefferson were the man and wife to be.

The two are deeply in love with one another, and up until the priest asked the dreaded question, everything had gone exactly as planned. However, once the bride and groom reached the altar to exchange vows, Jefferson broke into his own unexpected and untraditional speech. He shocked everyone, including Jessica, when he said he had a “big confession” to make.

The groom stuns his bride and the assembly by admitting that his heart belongs to another woman. One who is very special to him.

At first, no one could believe what he was saying, but when Jefferson turned to face 8-year-old Giovanna, understanding suddenly flashed across everyone’s face, mixed in with a whole lot of relief.

Giovanna is Jessica’s daughter from a previous union and was soon to be Jefferson’s new step-daughter.

Everyone knows that when parents split up, it’s hardest on their kids. When one parent tries to throw a step-parent into the mix, they can end up with a lot of feelings, many of them negative. Insecurity, anxiety, and confusion, to name just a few. In situations like these, communication is definitely key.

Thankfully, Jefferson was ready to do anything he needed in order to be not just a good husband, but a great step-dad as well.

Everyone in the assembly choked back tears as they listened to Jefferson make a heartfelt promise to love little Giovanna just as much as he loves her beautiful mother.

The original speech is in Portuguese, but the gist of his message to his step-daughter was this:

“If I could ask God for anything, it would be to have you as my daughter. I would be the proudest father in the world to have such a beautiful, intelligent and educated daughter like you . . . I also give you love, my love, to always take care of you, to always protect you and to not let anything bad happen to you.”

As anyone might expect, Jefferson’s beautiful and considerate message to his new step-daughter made sure that there wasn’t a single dry eye left in the house. We’re betting that will include yours once you watch the video yourself.

All weddings are meant to be a beautiful celebration of unending love and loyalty.

Jefferson’s inclusion of Giovanna in his wedding speech made his and Jessica’s wedding that much more special, though. More often than not these days, when two people decide to get married, it involves knitting two separate families together. Though this is one of the most difficult tasks in life there is, we think it’s safe to say that Jefferson, Jessica, and Giovanna are off to an amazing start.

To see just what made us all cry, watch the touching moment yourself in the video below.

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H/T: Shareably