Iowa City-native Kelli Elsen has always believed things happen for a reason.
So when Elsen spotted singer Camila Cabello at the Hyatt Regency in Coralville during her rehearsal dinner on Sept. 19, Elsen turned to her mom, who reminded her maybe there was a reason for this perfect timing. Elsen approached Cabello and told the pop star she had chosen her song “First Man” for her father-daughter dance.
Without hesitation, Cabello offered to sing the song at Elsen’s wedding the next day at the Walker Homestead Farm and Winery in Iowa City on Sept. 20.
“I was a little taken back,” Elsen said. “But she was so genuine and sweet.”
Cabello gave Elsen a hug and insisted on meeting her parents. On the day of Elsen’s wedding, Cabello’s manager informed Elsen that Cabello would try to make it to perform, but she had some other plans to attend to as well. It wasn’t until roughly 15 minutes after Elsen said “I do” that they received confirmation that Cabello was on the way and would sing at Elsen’s wedding.
“Who says no?” Elsen said, laughing.
Elsen first heard the song “First Man” a few years ago while she was dating her now-husband. The song explores a father-daughter relationship and how that love endures even when the daughter grows up and gets married. Cabello took time before the song to talk about how when she met Elsen and her father, Mike Murray, she could tell they had a special relationship.
“I didn’t know what to think,” Elsen said. “I was shocked and super thankful. You won’t forget a moment like that.”
How a photographer captured Camilla Cabello performing at an Iowa wedding
Emily Crall, the wedding photographer, had to capture not one but two one-in-a-lifetime moments: Murray’s father-daughter dance and Cabello’s live performance for the dance. With roughly 30 minutes to set the scene, Crall talked with the wedding DJ about how to set up the photo. Crall hoped to have the vineyard be the backdrop of Cabello’s song. Only when the time came, Cabello “positioned herself in the moment of it happening,” Crall said.
“We loved how it ended up because, yes, there are cars in the background…” Crall said. “I think the reality of it is so cool because it was a little impromptu and last-minute, and I think that sort of comes across in the pictures with it being unstaged.”
Why was Camila Cabello in Iowa?
Elsen wasn’t the only person getting married in Iowa City on the weekend of Sept. 20. Cabello told the family that she was also in Iowa attending a wedding with her boyfriend, Henry Junior Chalhoub. He is the son of the billionaire luxury fashion distributor, the Chalhoub Group, according to People.
Even with prior plans, Cabello not only sang at the reception but also sent flowers and took photos with the family after her performance.
“I was just taking in the moment because it kind of felt like a dream,” Elsen said. “I couldn’t have imagined a better day.”
Videos of Camila Cabello singing at Iowa wedding go viral
As Elsen took in the moment, her cousin recorded two TikTok videos of Cabello’s speech and her singing. The video of Cabello’s speech has more than 740,000 views and the one of Elsen and her father dancing has more than 1.5 million views.
“We kind of planned this, and it was a little last-minute kind of thing that we put together,” Cabello said in the TikTok. “I’m really honored to be a part of this moment for you, Kelli. I am happy to be a part of specifically the father-daughter dance moment because I’m such a daddy’s girl.”
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: ‘She was so genuine and sweet,’ bride says after Camila Cabello sang at her Iowa wedding
Reporting by Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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