I surprised my father on his wedding day by announcing my pregnancy during my speech

A woman divided opinion when she surprised her father on her wedding day by announcing her pregnancy during her speech.

Gabriella Morby, 32, from Birmingham, West Midlands, gave a speech at the wedding reception for her father, 61, and his wife, 55.

She handed him a book that he used to read to her as a child and asked him to turn to the first page that showed a scan that revealed that Gabriella was pregnant.

The tutor and content creator told the room, “Hopefully they see that they have reason to read this book again in the not too distant future.”

Guests clapped and cheered, but when she posted the clip online, commenters accused her of stealing the spotlight from the couple on their big day.

Gabriella and her partner, 33, had been trying for three months.

She added: “They were both very excited about becoming grandparents and often said they couldn’t wait to babysit.”

The wedding of her father, a lawyer, and stepmother, a project manager, took place in a stately home in the Cotswolds on July 22.

Gabriella led a toast to the newlyweds and presented her father with a book of Greek myths and legends that she had read to him as a child.

She said: ‘Actually, I have a little present for you. It is a special gift that I hope will always remind you, like me, of special moments when I was young.

‘For those of you who don’t know, my father used to read me Greek myths and legends from this book when I was younger, and I would often recite them from memory.

‘This was a special father-daughter gift to me when dad used to come home from work, just before my bedtime.

‘Dad, I want you to go to the first page and see why I bought this book for you.

‘I hope you see that you have reason to read this book again in the not too distant future.’

The couple were ‘very excited and happy’ at the ‘special moment’ as their guests applauded and cheered.

She said: ‘I wanted to break the news in a special way where they would be shocked and not expect it and also knowing that they would be surrounded by their close family and friends to share the moment they found out they were both going to become grandparents. .’

She posted it on TikTok and viewers accused her of ‘main character syndrome’ and ‘taking attention away from the happy couple’.

Gabriella said she was “saddened and shocked” by the backlash she received online, adding: “It’s a shame my experience has been tainted by some nasty comments on the wedding speech video from people who don’t even follow me and No”. you don’t know me

“People can be so quick to judge someone they don’t know.

“I am a big believer in the importance of mental health and I wish social media didn’t have a toxic side attached to it. The world would be a much happier place if everyone was kind.

Gabriella, who gave birth to son George in January 2023, said: “They said it totally made their day and they still talk about it now.”

“My dad said he couldn’t stop rewatching the video of the speech and the announcement for a few days after the wedding.

They both cried at that moment and were very excited and happy. It was a very special moment since they had no idea that she was going to announce that she was pregnant.

My husband and I were trying for about three months and we were very excited when we found out.

“Being called ‘selfish’ online was quite painful as my decision to announce my pregnancy was to make my dad and stepmom even happier on their special day.” It wasn’t meant to be about me at all.

“I was nervous about giving a speech in the first place, let alone announcing that I was pregnant in front of all these people.

‘I did it purely for my father and stepmother. There was certainly no other intention.

“I felt sad and shocked by the criticism online. I would never have done something like this at, say, a friend’s wedding, but this was my father and stepmother’s wedding.