Students and staff at a New York elementary school were able to cheer on their principal on her surprise school wedding day.
The community at Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School arranged to throw principal Brianna Lanoye a surprise wedding on school grounds on Oct. 3. The ceremony involved a student-led wedding procession, speeches and dancing, and was held just days before Lanoye's planned wedding.
"It meant everything to me," Lanoye said in an interview with ABC News on Friday, detailing the special event that drew hundreds of students and even included a former student flying out to attend the festivities.
Lanoye, a founding principal of the school, said she had wanted a wedding that involved her entire school community but "thought that would be near impossible to do."
"However, my assistant principal didn't think that was impossible," Lanoye said.
Assistant principal Courtney Champlin discreetly planned an entire wedding celebration on school grounds, coordinating with current and former students and staff to put on a school wedding for Lanoye.
Lanoye said that on Oct. 3, after being led to believe she and Champlin were attending another school function, she was presented with a veil, and it was then she began to understand she was attending a school wedding.
The student procession included two representatives from each grade level from pre-K through fourth grade walking Lanoye down the aisle to her fiance Zach, who was waiting for her at the altar.
"Just having him there as well, as a part of our school community, it was really beautiful, and I couldn't believe that he was part of it as well," said Lanoye.
The ceremony was capped off by speeches from former students, who shared their thoughts about love in front of the wedding party.
"I firmly believe there's no better truth than our student's words. So to hear them share their reflections was, yeah, really powerful," Lanoye said. "They did such a good job. And we always want to elevate student voices. So it was really cool to hear them."
Lanoye and her fiance later celebrated their planned wedding Oct. 12, which she said was coincidentally also held on school grounds.
