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Sacramento pastor marries couple at Bad Bunny's halftime performance
Sacramento pastor marries couple at Bad Bunny's halftime performance
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Yes, those smiles and kisses were real: A couple did indeed get married during Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
The couple, Eleisa "Elli" Aparico and Thomas "Tommy" Wolter, had invited the singer to their wedding, but instead of attending, Bad Bunny invited them to be part of his halftime performance.
The ceremony took place during the show and was officiated by Antonio Reyes, a pastor from Sacramento, who has connections in the entertainment industry from having pastored in Los Angeles.
Reyes told KCRA3 that he was selected after a rigorous process that included interviews with more than three dozen churches.
He said that within hours of being chosen, he was reviewing and signing a non-disclosure agreement.
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Reyes said he met the couple via Zoom two weeks before the event and quickly formed a close bond with them. He also said he was in Santa Clara for a week leading up the Big Game in the Bay, and there were a lot of late nights to prepare for the show.
"I’m Mexican and so I’m Latino and I pastor a Latino congregation as well," Reyes said. "So to me, it was a very important moment beyond the performance. It was emotional, it was moving. I had to keep it together several times because I wanted to cry."
Reyes said he appreciated Bad Bunny’s commitment to including real people in the show to play the roles he envisioned, rather than hiring actors.
He also admitted that this was the biggest secret he’s ever kept from his congregation, Project Church.
"To be part of that—it meant a lot," he told KCRA3. "The first time I stepped onto the field, I was very emotional. It wasn’t just a show. It was what it represented. It was a moment to represent my faith as a follower of Jesus, and also to represent Latinos. I’m just a local church pastor serving my community in south Sacramento. They wanted real people on that stage."