Backstreet Boys superfans Ryan and A’riel posted a video inviting the pop icons to their wedding, assuming they’d never hear from the group. Not only did the band write back thanking the Florida couple for their support, but Backstreet Boys member Howie Dorough personally dropped in to sing “All I Have to Give” at the wedding!
Howie was 42 at the time, and despite it being a good two decades since the Backstreet Boys’ heyday, he clearly still has the Midas touch. Howie had the daunting task of singing all five members’ parts himself at the wedding and he absolutely knocked it out of the park, delivering the honey-smooth R&B vocals that fans know and love.
Ryan and A’riel hugged and danced as Howie sang, with A’riel clearly absolutely blown away by the appearance, with a huge grin plastered on her face throughout. Howie, who lives in Orlando, Florida, told the couple that he would have liked to get the whole band together for the show, but that “unfortunately it’s a little tough getting everyone from all around the different states to get together, but I live in the backyard here with you guys.”
The couple’s favourite song by the group is the romantic ballad “All I Have to Give”, and the song is also important to Howie. As the singer told Billboard, the song “was me finally getting a chance to step to the plate and show the world who I am as a singer. I’ll always be thankful for producers from the group Full Force for saying ‘Dude, why don’t you sing more on the leads?’” His lead section is the third verse in the song, just after the first chorus, which you can hear below.
With the help of journalist Rob Landers, the couple’s video of the Backstreet Boys was posted on the Florida Today website before the wedding, which helped it gain traction online. Rob recounted at the wedding that Ryan had said that if they just got a note back from the band saying that they had seen the video, that would be enough.
Rob then told the wedding attendees that the Backstreet Boys’ management sent him a letter, which four members of the band had signed. The group added a message to Ryan and A’riel, saying “it is people like you that make it easy for us to sing a love song,” due to the couples’ love for each other. Howie’s signature was left off the letter, which Rob used as a cue to reveal that the star wanted to thank the couple in person, after which the wedding went wild as Howie walked in and sang “All I Have to Give.”
“All I Have to Give” was released as the third single from the Backstreet Boys’ second album Backstreet’s Back in 1998. It was a US Platinum hit for the quintet and peaked at number two and five in the UK and US respectively. If you would like to see more from Backstreet Boys, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Instagram.