Though it’s off-season for track and field, Olympians Noah Lyles and Junelle Bromfield are still making headlines. On April 4, the couple tied the knot in Trenton, Georgia, after four years of dating and gained media attention because of Noah’s shocked (and shocking!) first look at Junelle’s stunning wedding gown.
The pair’s wedding photographer, who also shot the nuptials of Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens, decided to share the intimate moment with his 408,000 Instagram followers. In the clip, Junelle reveals her final look by tapping her groom on the shoulder, to which he responds, “Oh, wow. Okay.”
Noah laughed as he turned around and caught a glimpse of her floor-length Pantora Bridal ballgown with an asymmetrical shoulder strap, and like any first look, he seemed speechless at Junelle’s beauty before saying their vows. “I didn’t think you would go with a princess dress,” he added. “Yeah, this is good.”
Of course, it landed on the algorithms of people who had a lot to say about the interaction. “Does he even like her?” one person asked in the comments section, while someone else wrote, “This is jarring. May this love never find anyone. Not one single compliment. I could be wearing a paper bag and my man would be telling me I’m the most beautiful woman ever.”
Others even urged Junelle to cancel the entire wedding because of Noah’s “unenthusiastic” response, which they criticized and compared to a Love Is Blind reveal.
Once the bride caught wind of the internet’s feelings, she doubled down and posted HD footage of her and Noah’s first look with the caption, “Moral of the story. Mind [your] business.”
Fans weren’t exactly thrilled with her clapback—which has earned more than 1.6 million views and, honestly, was fully warranted—because they claimed it “became their business” once the video was shared online.
“As if that smile on his face was not a compliment enough?” someone else wrote, defending the decorated athletes. “He looked speechless, and incredibly happy to see her. Not everything has to be confirmed with words. She knows her man, and that’s the ONLY opinion that matters.”
I don’t know what people saw in this clip, but I see a pair of folks who are so in love, butterflies got the best of them before they walked down the aisle. Noah is speechless as he smiles from ear to ear, and Junelle can’t help but blush at the man she loves standing before her. She even confirmed that her nerves were “killing” her in an Instagram comment on their photographer’s original post.
There’s also a bit more nuance to their first look, as Junelle revealed they had dealt with some issues regarding visas for some of her family members, who ultimately didn’t make it to their nuptials. Per her recap, Noah was only trying to lift her spirits before they met with guests.
He started talking about the logistics of her train and the movement of her gown, because, like anyone getting married, he wants the best day of his life to go smoothly. In the end, there’s nothing wrong with the moment, because it only matters to Noah and Junelle—no matter how many voices try to chime in.
