Here comes the bride, henny!
Jonathan Van Ness helped one lucky couple say “I do” via FaceTime after learning that they had to cancel their wedding amid the coronavirus pandemic. Taking to Instagram, the Queer Eye star recalled hearing Stephanie and Samantha‘s story and left them a sweet message.
“Something told me to check my DMs yesterday,” he wrote. “I found a message from Stephanie @laxpirate , explaining that she and her fiancé Samantha @punny_lane had their first date at my show in Indianapolis last summer and now in light of cancelling their planned big wedding if I could virtually officiate.”
Reflecting on the wholesome moment, Jonathan continued, “I’m so so happy for these two & that I checked that message. Young inner child me is so happy seeing queer love win in the Midwest.”
In addition to sharing a picture of himself and the brides from the virtual wedding, the fan-favorite hairstylist also included a video from the moment he pronounced the couple wife and wife.
Sitting in front of him laptop, he excitedly declared, “Oh, my god, I now pronounce you wife and wife.” Then, he couldn’t help but gush over the newlyweds and the whole experience.
“You did it!” he said. “You look beautiful. Oh, my gosh…it was like Mother Nature or something told me, like, ‘Check your DMs,’ and yours was at the top of my list,” adding, “It was so meant to be. And I’m just so happy you included me in your special day.”
To thank the Gay of Thrones star for being their officiant, Stephanie and Samantha shared that they made a donation to the Damien Center, which provides services to those living with HIV and AIDS in Indiana, in Jonathan’s honor.
Back in September, Jonathan revealed that he is HIV-positive in his memoir Over The Top, where he describes himself as an out-and-proud “member of the beautiful HIV-positive community.”
in an interview with The New York Times, he shared that he wanted to use his newfound platform as a means to educate people on the virus and be an ally to those who are affected by it.
“When Queer Eye came out, it was really difficult because I was like, ‘Do I want to talk about my status?,'” he told the outlet. “And then I was like, ‘The Trump administration has done everything they can do to have the stigmatization of the L.G.B.T. community thrive around me. I do feel the need to talk about this.”