Hollywood icon Tom Hanks once surprised a Pittsburgh bride and requested to take photos with her

Grace Gwaltney, from the Pittsburgh area, was about to head to her wedding ceremony when something unexpected happened that made her day even more special. Gwaltney's wedding photographer, Rachel Rowland, told Good Morning America, "We went to the limo and all of a sudden this man kind of jogged up behind them. He said, ‘Hey, my name is Tom Hanks. Can I take a photo with the bride?’" The Forrest Gump actor surprised her outside of their hotel in Pennsylvania. Hanks was filming the movie, A Man Called Otto nearby and decided to surprise the bridal party when they were having a pre-wedding shoot.

Rowland shared, "He just came up, very jovial, happy, exactly what you would think Tom Hanks would do." Everyone was completely awestruck by the Oscar-winning actor and his sweet gesture. The photographer quickly took some beautiful photos of Hanks with the bride and bridesmaids, which she shared on her Instagram. She wrote in the caption, "I’d like to say a photobomb from Tom Hanks was the best part of yesterday but honestly I’d be lying. (No offense to the GOAT)." She added, "Yesterday was filled with joy, and laughter and fun and love and family and hugs and I just can’t get enough of Grace and Luke." 

In the picture, Gwaltney is overwhelmed with happiness as she stands close to Hanks as he looks at her, reports TODAY. Rowland told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "He was just as wonderful and charming as you’d assume. His wife, Rita, was there and got in some photos, too." Rowland said the bride started crying when Hanks surprised her and added, "It really couldn’t have happened to a sweeter person." 

Hanks has surprised many couples on the wedding day in the past. In 2016, he went to Central Park to pose for photos with a wedding couple. In 2018, he sent a signed image of himself holding a wedding invitation up to his head in response to a wedding invitation he got from a couple, reports TODAY. He has been visiting a lot of businesses and people around Pittsburgh while filming the movie. According to a Facebook post, he and his wife, Rita Wilson posed for photographs with the workers of a home improvement company in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. Hanks stopped to chat with a young child who was watching him film sequences for the film.

According to Rowland, he has been completely embracing the city. She said, "He just absorbs the city. He said he loves it here, so I’m glad he’s back." Hanks filmed a 2019 movie titled A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood in the city.