"I just wanted to express to him all the gratitude that I felt for everything he has done for me," bride Hope Palmer tells PEOPLE
Credit: McKinley Made
NEED TO KNOW
- Hope and Dylan Palmer tied the knot on Dec. 12 in Pensacola, Fla.
- Ahead of the wedding ceremony, the bride had an emotional first look with her dad, Matt Sternat
- During the private moment, Hope revealed that she had her maiden name tattooed on her ribs
A father-daughter wedding first look was filled with tears and a surprise tattoo.
Ahead of Hope and Dylan Palmer's wedding ceremony on Dec. 12, 2025 in Pensacola, Fla., the bride, 27, and her father, Matt Sternat, 58, shared a private first look outside. Before Matt turned around to see his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time, Hope read aloud a handwritten letter to him to express just how much their relationship means to her.
"Today feels just a little bit bittersweet because, on paper, it's my last day as a Sternat. So even if my driver's license says otherwise, I want you to know that I will always be a Sternat," Hope shared in a video of the big reveal captured by McKinley Made and posted on Instagram Feb. 10. "A few months ago, I asked you to send me a picture of our last name in your handwriting and I never told you why, but I had it tattooed on my ribs because being a Sternat is one of the things I am most proud of. It's a piece of who I am, and I wanted to carry that with me forever."
Matt softly cried and his face turned red as Hope tearfully continued, "So as you turn around, I just want you to know this. Being your daughter will always be my favorite title that I get to hold. I love you, Dad."
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"I love you, Hope," Matt responded.
The video amassed nearly 50,000 likes and more than 150 comments.
"Literally sobbing watching this 😭," one person commented, while someone else wrote, "Hey so your video gets really blurry like 30 seconds in 🥺🥺😭😭😭."
Credit: McKinley Made
Exclusively reflecting on the special moment with PEOPLE, Hope explains that the intent behind the first look was to thank Matt for everything. "It was my way of having a private and sweet moment with him before the chaos of the wedding began. I just wanted to express to him all the gratitude that I felt for everything he has done for me," she says.
Hope adds, "All the late nights helping me with homework, all the times he coached us growing up, and how hard he has worked to give my siblings and me everything we’ve ever needed."
Hope's secret tattoo of her maiden name in her father's handwriting served as an ode to her loved ones and a physical representation of her family pride. Although Hope chose and wanted to take on her husband's last name, she admits that there was still heavy emotion that came with losing the name she'd had for her entire life.
Credit: McKinley Made
"It was a bittersweet moment because that name meant so much to me, yet I was so excited to have my new name and begin this exciting new chapter," she says. "It wasn’t that I was sad to 'give up' that name, but just an emotional part of my life."
Hope felt "so nervous" to read her note to Matt, and was focused on getting through the first look without being "too tearful" herself.
"The moment meant a lot to me, and I am so glad that it was captured on film!" she says. "It was so sweet to watch it back and see just how much that moment meant to him as well. He hasn’t been one to be overly tearful, so it was very special to me that he had that reaction. I never expected so many people to see this moment, but I hope it inspires other people to do the same!"
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Credit: McKinley Made
Hope says she's eternally "grateful" for her close relationship with her father. "My dad has always been someone I look up to, and I lean on him a lot for advice or when I just need a pep talk. He truly raised me to be myself and to be proud of who I am. I am forever thankful for that," she shares.
"He is also incredibly funny and has taught me to have a good sense of humor and let the little things roll off my back. My dad is my hero, and I love him so much," Hope adds.
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