Woman Waits 25 Years to Open Maid of Honor’s Wedding Gift — She Found Left Her Speechless

For 25 years, a small, sealed box sat untouched on a closet shelf, traveling with Carri Anne through moves across the country and even overseas. The box came from her maid of honor at her wedding shower in 2000, with a strict note: “Do Not Open Until July 29, 2025.”

“I’ve known about it for 25 years and stared at it a lot,” Carri Anne told PEOPLE. She always followed the rules, carefully unpacking the box at every move during her husband’s military career and placing it back on her shelf. She admits she was tempted to peek but never did.

As her 25th wedding anniversary approached, her daughter reminded her it was finally time. Her kids also encouraged her to film the moment for TikTok. “I was nervous to cut the tape,” Carri Anne said. “I had no idea what was inside. I expected maybe a joke gift or old photos.”

Inside the box were index cards filled with handwritten messages from her friends and family. “At first, I thought it was all my friend’s handwriting,” she said, “but then I realized it was from other people, too.”

Some of the messages were from her mother, who had passed away eight years earlier. “It was such a special moment,” Carri Anne said. “She would have thought this was the coolest thing.”

The cards also included snapshots of the year 2000—fun memories, local sports updates, fashion trends, and even political gossip. “Some of the cards mentioned the Packers, capri pants, and predictions about the millennium,” she laughed.

The experience inspired a new family tradition. Her husband and kids suggested taking the box, changing the date to 2050, and opening it on their 50th wedding anniversary.

The TikTok video went viral, with viewers moved by the handwritten notes from loved ones who have passed. Carri Anne also said messages came from unexpected places, including her brother’s student in Indonesia.

Her maid of honor, her close friend since seventh grade, is now a nurse anesthetist. Carri Anne calls her “thoughtful and inspiring,” and says the box has traveled nearly as much as her family, visiting countries like Europe and the Caribbean, and cities across the U.S.

“The box reminded me how precious moments are in life,” Carri Anne said. “Time changes so fast, and we need to hold on to each day.”

Now, the box is sealed again, waiting for its next milestone—and a powerful reminder that small moments, and the people who make them special, truly matter.