Hoda Kotb

Hoda Officiates a Surprise Wedding for Couple Who Had to Cancel Theirs

Who knew that Hoda is an ordained minister!

TODAY

Hoda Kotb had a surprise pronouncement on Thursday.

The TODAY co-anchor also happens to also be an ordained minister in addition to her television talents, so she used that title to give an Arizona couple a special moment after they had to cancel their wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hoda pronounced John Sizer and Melanie Mulvihill husband and wife during a surprise wedding on a Zoom call set up by Sizer and Kira Sullivan, Mulvihill's maid of honor.

"It ultimately comes down to love, and I'm just happy my family and friends all could be present and I got to marry the love of my life,'' Mulvihill said. "It will be something to remember forever."

Mulvihill thought she and Sizer were just having a Zoom call with Sullivan for a toast to what would've been their first weekend as a married couple if they didn't have to cancel their April 18 wedding in Phoenix.

"Getting to interact with the TODAY show and being able to give her the surprise of marriage when she was not expecting it at all at this point, I think it would make her life," Sizer said ahead of the surprise.

Sullivan then revealed that many of the couple's family members were also on the call along with their pastor. She also had arranged for a special guest to pop up on the call right as the pastor was getting ready to marry the couple.

"I don't know if you know this, but I'm ordained," Hoda said to a stunned Mulvihill. "So I wanted to help you out."

"That's so amazing!" Mulvihill said.

Hoda then had the couple recite short vows before pronouncing them husband and wife.

"I want her to know that I love her and I’m excited for this, and I can’t wait to be her husband and her be my wife,'' Sizer said.

Hoda also noted that for this wedding, the couple's pastor had to be part of it in order to finalize their union. She advised anyone doing a virtual wedding to make sure to check their state's laws to make sure it's official.

The surprises didn't end there, as country singer Russell Dickerson joined the Zoom call to play his song "Yours," which was going to be the song for the first dance at their wedding.

"Let's have a little first dance, why don't we?" Dickerson said before playing the song.

Hoda, who has a wedding of her own on the horizon, said witnessing the moment was so emotional that it not only left her in tears, but also had her fiancé, Joel Schiffman, crying off camera.

The beautiful moment may mean a lot more requests for Hoda to officiate ceremonies, including from her own TODAY family.

"You made me want to renew my vows!" Savannah Guthrie said. "Will you renew my vows with Mike?"

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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