New mom missed her best friend's wedding, but delivered an epic toast anyway
May we all have a best friend like Ally Lothman.

This speech had all the things, and the Maid of Honor wasn't even there
May we all have a best friend like Ally Lothman.
Lothman had just given birth to her first child (according to Today.com) and was unable to make it to the wedding of her lifelong best friend Michelle Levenson. But Lothman’s Maid of Honor duties were still gloriously fulfilled.
A now-viral video, posted to TikTok by wedding photography and videography company Woodell Productions, shows that even though Lothman couldn’t celebrate in person, her FaceTimed wedding toast managed to bring everyone at the reception—along with everyone who watched online—to tears."You didn’t think a little bit of childbirth was going to keep me from giving the maid-of-honor speech at my best friend's wedding, did you?" Lothman begins. Already a pretty epic start.
She continued by sharing one of her favorite memories with the bride.
“There were endless memories to choose from. We would be here all night if I wrote about them all ... but I'll never forget my first evening in Cortona, Italy,” she said.
Lothman seamlessly painted a picture of their adventure together.
"In true Michelle fashion, she had whisked me up and down the incredibly steep winding roads that Tuscan city was perched upon. She had planned my first day to a tee. She showed me an ancient mummy preserved in a church — and I think that may have been the day I was hit by the car and then promptly asked out on a date by the Italian man inside the car."
"If I remember correctly,” Lothman continued, “it was that late summer sunset that we spent alone in the kind of bar bistro you would see in a life insurance commercial. We drank dry white wine and I remember we were moved to tears together for how beautiful it was."
Lothman then recalled, whether it was due to the ambiance or the alcohol, that the two friends “had a moment, like the culmination of a lifetime of friendship had brought us to this one special place in time, 5,000 miles from where we grew up."
But wait, it gets better.
Lothman remarked that their “deep, insightful understanding” of each other made them more than friends. "This was our sisterhood. In fact, I believe it was at this moment that we decided we needed to become sister wives."
It was at this point that Lothman addressed Levenson’s new husband. And perhaps Lothman’s new husband as well.
"So Matt, I hope you understand: Michelle and I made a pact in 2014 that we would find husbands someday but it would always be sister wives first," she quipped. "I'm pretty sure this means we all have to live together now — I'll be bringing a baby so I hope that's OK."
This is just the nuts and bolts of it. In truth, the video is full of other gems, including but not limited to a 10 ft long charcuterie board and “the world's spiciest Bloody Mary.”
Watch:
@woodellproductions Ally couldnt be at her best friends wedding because she just gave birth, so instead she dropped the greatest toast ever and made everyone sob over facetime #georgiaweddingvideographer #atlantaweddingvideographer #2024wedding #2025wedding #weddingvows #weddingtoast #maidofhonorspeech ♬ original sound - Woodell Films
The video has amassed over 2.5 million views, with tons of people sharing how impressed they were with Lothman’s flair for words.
“‘Maybe it was the way the golden light reflected off the landscape and bathed us in its holiness’ like are you KIDDING me? This is incredible,” one person commented.
“This was the most beautiful MOH speech I’ve ever heard,” wrote another.
But even more than that, people were inspired by how Lothman showed up for her friend.
“The epitome of ‘if they wanted to they would.’”
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.