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Groom's Little Brother Leaves Room In Tears With Emotional Wedding Speech

Groom's Little Brother Leaves Room In Tears With Emotional Wedding Speech

Sam, who has autism, stepped up and delivered an incredible best man's speech which paid tribute to his big brother

Bradley Lengden

Bradley Lengden

A heartwarming best man's speech, given by the groom's younger brother, brought his family to tears and quickly went viral when shared online. You can listen to it here:

Footage of 23-year-old Sam Waldron was shared online, with millions viewing the emotional clip in which he pays tribute to his big brother Jonah.

Sam, who has autism and struggles socially, told the room that his brother was his 'hero' and that he'd 'been there for me my whole life'.

"I'm so honoured to stand here as your best man Jonah and Maddy... but I am also terrified," he begins, as he's met with laughter and applause.

"You see, I have autism. My autism can make me terribly scared to interact with people, let alone give a speech in front of 170 of them for Pete's sake!"

Recalling the speech, Sam said his brother reminds him 'that being different is a real strength, not a weakness,' and that despite the initial nerves, he got more comfortable as the speech went on.

He said: "I felt like I was speaking out to whoever has autism and that I was speaking for the autism community."

SWNS

Jonah said he couldn't hold back the tears once his brother started reading, and described the special bond they had growing up.

Only four years separated the two, meaning they both spent time at the same school.

Jonah said: "He would come to see me during the school day, he would come for help with a subject or as a break.

"Myself and my parents were the ones he felt the most comfortable talking to about any struggles that he had socially.

"I also became his Respite Care worker, helping him practice social situations in public settings."

Jonah's relationship with his brother even inspired him to train as a Special Education Teacher.

After meeting his future-wife Madison at Wartburg College, Jonah explained how she and Sam immediately clicked.

He said: "Once he met Maddy, he felt completely comfortable right away."

SWNS

After getting engaged on a trip to Buena Vista, Colorado, the 27-year-old asked his little brother to be his best man as soon as they got home.

Jonah said: "I've always known that I wanted Sam as my best man.

"He was very happy, but also you could see that he was nervous too."

Sam says he spent two days perfecting his speech before the big day on 3 July this year.

He said: "I would just sit there in Salida and just read it aloud.

"I read it to my Aunt Colleen, Andrew Hoyt and my Dad many times."

The entire speech was uploaded to Jonah's TikTok account, where it quickly went viral.

At the time of writing, more than 6.2 million people have watched Sam's stellar performance.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: Family, marriage