Bride received ‘something blue’ from stranger’s gift—it had a precious connection to her late brother
Many brides dream of following the centuries-old tradition of having their “something blue” on their wedding day. Shelby Garcia married the man of her dreams in September last year and chanced upon this unique element through a stranger, Newsweek reported. Sharing a video on TikTok, the woman mentioned how a stranger came up to her on her wedding day and handed her a blue bracelet with a special message. It was a little later, as she pondered this unexpected gift, that she realized it had a striking and tear-jerking connection to her late brother, Colby.
Colby had passed away in a car accident three years ago at the age of 17. The brother-sister duo were very close to each other, so much that the woman called him her “best friend.” She mentioned that having “raised him” as her little brother, grieving his loss and not having him on her big day was heartbreaking. Nevertheless, Garcia was ready to celebrate and marry the man she loved. She mentioned that everything was “perfect” and she was happy. She even shared a few glimpses of her day on TikTok. However, one memory is beyond unforgettable.
@shellzzii it was just such a special moment, though so small, and im sure that lady had no idea how much it would mean to me aside from a kind gesture and me saying thank you. i dont touch people, i am not touchy, but she put this on my wrist and i grabbed and squeezed her hand and looked into her eyes and thanked her and just stood there for a moment, in the small instant in time that her and i occupied. i know colby sent her, i know this was his way of letting me know he was there on my wedding day, because he wouldve been right next to me. i was really sad about him not being there, of course ive been sad for years since it happened, it never gets lighter, but that woman choosing me instead of the other bride, being so intentional in our moment, and me realizing the connection later in the day makes this story so much more special. it wouldve been special on its own, but i wouldnt have felt the need to tell it like this. i doubt ill ever see her again, shell never know the immense kindness she showed me and the wonderful memory she allowed me to think of, but i wish i could have a coffee with her and tell her this story, and since i cant, i wanted to tell you #centralpark #elopement #marriage #justmarried #wedding #weddingtok #bluefish #grief #love #storytime ♬ original sound - shellzzii
Out of the blue, while she was taking pictures, a middle-aged woman walked up to her and said, “Can I talk to you?”It was an Italian woman whom the bride didn’t recognize but hesitantly agreed. She noted that there was another bride getting pictures taken a few steps away, but the stranger approached only Garcia. “She said, ‘In Italy, it is customary and good luck to wear something blue on your wedding day,’” the woman recalled. She already had blue nails and shoes accounting for her “something blue,” but the woman was insistent and handed her a dainty bracelet with a little light blue ceramic fish on it.
“She looked me in the eyes, she held my hand, I squeezed her hand. It was a few moments of connection to a person I didn't know,” Garcia tearfully recalled. The stranger proceeded to go back to her tour group. At the time, the bride was swamped with so many other feelings after having just gotten married, and so she didn’t think much of the bracelet. When she proceeded for family photographs, the photographer asked her if she believed in heaven. While Garcia was hesitant to reply, she immediately thought of her brother. Missing him terribly, her eyes gazed at the bracelet she’d just received. That’s when something clicked.
“I looked down at the fish on this bracelet and in my room in my parents’ house, there’s a little blue ceramic fish that my brother made for me. It’s hanging on the wall,” Garcia tearfully said. As soon as the realization struck her, she was hit with overwhelming feelings. “I feel crazy about how I could pick up on that right away because I was preoccupied with making sure everything went well,” she said. The whole coincidence of the woman handing her the bracelet while her brother couldn’t be there, and the connection she felt with the woman, was surreal.
“She looked me in the eyes like she knew me,” she remarked. “I know Colby sent her. This was his way of letting me know he was there on my wedding day,” Garcia wrote in the caption. @batkoda said, “Our angels are all around us and find ways to let us know. If you have faith in anything, have faith in love.” @jmimichellehead added, “What an incredible gift delivered from your brother.”