This Bride and Groom Recreated the Iconic “Parent Trap” Handshake Before Their First Kiss—Watch the Video Here

The duo surprised their guests with the choreographed moment before making their marriage official—and it was so cute, director Nancy Meyers reposted the viral footage.

Bride and groom holding hands at the altar during wedding ceremony

Getty Images

Since the wedding ceremony marks the official transition from engaged to married, couples often incorporate unique personal touches to make the service even more meaningful. One such duo, Hannah Pearlman and Nick Skardarasy, decided to surprise their guests by doing the iconic handshake from The Parent Trap before they shared their first kiss. In a joint Instagram post on October 18, 2023, the bride and groom shared the video of that moment with their followers. Nancy Meyers, the director and co-writer of the 1998 romantic-comedy, thought it was so special, that she reposted the clip to her own Instagram Story just 12 hours later.

The video begins with Pearlman and Skardarasy leaning in for their first kiss before stopping abruptly when a song plays loudly in the background. The two of them look out at the audience with confused expressions on their faces. “When the music interrupts your first kiss,” the text says on the screen. The interference appears to have been part of the plan, because both of them shrug before beginning the famous handshake from the film. Once the pair joins hands, the music changes to the song that played in The Parent Trap whenever Hallie Parker (played by Lindsay Lohan) and her father, Nick Parker (played by Dennis Quaid), would do their secret handshake. 

As Pearlman and Skardarasy move through the choreography in the video, their guests break out into fits of laughter. The bride and groom also can’t help but giggle while they go through the motions. After they twirl around, signaling the end of the handshake, Pearlman and Skardarasy lean in for their first kiss. The footage shows everyone in the crowd cheering and clapping in response. “A Little Parent Trap surprise before the kiss!” their caption says.

Hallie Parker and Nick Parker putting their arms around one another in The Parent Trap

Courtesy of IMDB

For their big day, it appears that Pearlman donned an A-line wedding dress with sheer sleeves and an illusion neckline. She also wore her cropped locks in waves, affixed with a veil. Skardarasy seems to have sported a velvet emerald green jacket featuring black lapels, paired with a black tie, dress pants, and loafers. Both of them stood beneath a birchwood chuppah, adorned with greenery and drapery, at their ceremony.

The same day that Pearlman and Skardarasy posted their video on Instagram, Meyers—an award-winning writer, produce, and director—saw the clip and gave it her stamp of approval by reposting it to her Instagram Story. Meyers also added three red heart emojis to the slide. In addition to her work on The Parent Trap, a movie about long-lost twins swapping places after meeting each other at summer camp, Meyers has produced lots of other feel-good films, including The Intern, The Holiday, and Something’s Gotta Give.

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