With five daughters, Mary Theut had never enjoyed a mother-son wedding dance — until her sons-in-law asked for her hand.
The memorable dance took place during the July 2022 wedding of Theut's daughter Sarah Reynolds, who along with her sisters, recruited their husbands to surprise Mary by twirling her around the dance floor. With Sarah the last daughter to marry, it was Theut's last opportunity to participate in the wedding tradition.
"It meant a lot more to me than I ever thought," Theut, who with her husband Eric, hosted the wedding in her Chesterfield, Michigan home, tells TODAY.com. "I have great sons-in-law."
Theut always loved watching father-daughter dances, especially at her daughters' weddings, but as a girl mom, she never expected to have a turn.
Sarah tells TODAY.com that the sisters began plotting early on with their husbands, who they consider Theut’s sons.
"The only people who knew were my sisters and our husbands because we didn't want to ruin the surprise," she says. “Mom has done so much for our weddings and never got to have that dance."
"The men said, 'Let's do it!' They were really excited to be a part of it," she adds.
In Sarah and Paul Reynolds' wedding video, the bride calls her surprised mother over to the dance floor where the groom waited. While Paul and Theut danced to "Mama's Song" by Carrie Underwood, Paul made sure Theut's back was to the edge of the dance floor where the rest of the men awaited their turn.
Mary recalls telling Paul, "This is the first time I've danced with one of my sons at their weddings."
"He said, 'Well, you're in for a surprise: You get to dance with all of us — turn around,'" she says. "I can't even describe it. There are very few times when you're that excited."
Katie and her husband Zach then walked on the dance floor, where he took Paul's place, as Theut held back tears. "I was so happy," she says.
Next was Allie's husband Tim, who was followed by Sammy's husband Brad and then Amanda's husband Ryan.
Theut's dance card wasn't filled until Eric took her for a spin. "It all meant a lot," says Theut. "It was pretty special."