Bride learns and performs graceful Samoan dance to honor her in-laws: 'Married the right woman'

A wedding day often consists of surprises galore. Some are by family members, while others come from the bride and the groom. Over all other gifts, a wholesome gesture that expresses one's respect for their spouse and family means more than anything else. Lyrah Siarrah—who goes on TikTok by @lyrah_siarrah27—shared a heartwarming video of her new sister-in-law, Coll Tiatia, expressing her love and admiration for her husband’s cultural background on their wedding day. The bride took the time and dedication to learn a graceful dance prominent in the Samoan culture. According to In the Know, Tiatia performed a dance called the Taualuga, a sacred Samoan dance.

The dance is known to be the center point of tradition for the Samoan folks. The Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington termed it as a sacred dance; one that is at the apex of the Samoan culture and that must be performed with reverence. This dance is performed to honor a chief person and Tiatia was doing just that for her husband and his family. The video captures her flowing into each step with intention and her dedication to do justice to the art form is very evident.

With family members seated before her, as she danced humbly, they all encouraged her with applause. Her smooth and flowy performance expressed how much she reveres her spouse and his family and what a joy it was for her to become a part of the family. With a soft smile throughout the performance, guests couldn’t help but be in awe of the stunning bride. Siarrah, who captured the wholesome moment, wrote in the text overlay: “Wow, this is so beautiful. Definitely married the right woman, my dear little brother. She definitely went out of her way to learn this and so gracefully. She did a wonderful job.”

The dance was more than just a surprise for the groom. It was a gesture assuring him that his bride would respectfully embrace their culture. The guests were simply awestruck by her performance and soon joined Tiatia. In the video, towards the end, several men and women are seen applauding her and getting off their seats to cheerfully join in with the largest smiles. 

Several people commented on Tiatia’s wholesome gesture that speaks of love itself. @tiktokcianoz said, “He got himself a keeper. Good job, girl.” Many commenters were over the top after seeing the support she received from her in-laws as well. @zoemarae said, “I got goosebumps when everyone joined in. How wonderful.”

In a follow-up video, Siarrah captured the bride’s speech in the cultural language as well as another energetic performance of the Taualuga, but this time with her husband. In this video, she wrote, “Last dance by the newly wedded couple and the bridesmaids and groomsmen symbolizing a conclusion for a beautiful celebration as the grand finale of the event in Samoan culture.”