Catey Thomson, a former Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader and current high school dance team coach, experienced a heartwarming surprise at her wedding in Los Angeles, California.
At 27, Thomson has coached the Ayala Song Team, made up of 14 teenagers, for six years. After getting engaged in December 2022, her team playfully suggested attending her wedding as guest performers.
Thomson initially told them there wasn’t enough room, but her mother, Caren, secretly worked with the wedding planner and the team’s parents to arrange a surprise performance.
On January 27, the team was told to arrive at the wedding venue at 8 pm, dressed in their uniforms with pom-poms in hand. During the reception, the DJ asked guests to look towards the upper level. Thomson was moved to tears as she saw her team waving pom-poms and holding a championship banner, making their way to her for a group hug.
Later, Thomson performed a dance with her team, a routine they usually do at football games. She shared her feelings about the surprise, saying she was in complete shock and very happy. “Even though they are high schoolers and coaching is my job, they mean so much more to me than just that,” Thomson explained. She stressed how special it was to share this memory with them and believed they would always remember that night.
Guests and social media users were touched by the surprise, admiring the strong bond between Thomson and her team.
One YouTube user commented, “she’s obviously a really great and caring coach for her team to do this for her.” Another one added, “She looks cool dancing with them in her wedding dress.”