Hoda Kotb officiates a wedding LIVE on the Today show – seven months after the couple got engaged on the plaza on Valentine’s Day – and Al Roker even walked the bride down the aisle

Hoda Kotb catered a wedding live on Thursday on the Today show – nearly seven months after the couple got engaged on Valentine’s Day in the square.

The co-host, an ordained minister, married Ben Hebert, 30, and Mindy Shore, 29, in front of their family and friends outside Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Since the bride’s father passed away recently and her mother was unable to travel for the event, Al Roker, 69, stepped in and walked her down the aisle.

The ceremony was years in the making for Shore, who grew up watching the Show today and met Kotb when she visited the square with her mother in celebration of her 20th and 21st birthdays.

“When they were planning their wedding, no one imagined that they would be on live television here in the square, but guys, isn’t life so funny and surprising?” Kotb, 59, acknowledged at the start of the ceremony.

“I think you live on the edge. You take risks and you take chances. Ben and Mindy knew they might be in a relationship after a single swipe. But did they know they were getting married? It went exactly as it should,” she continued.

“And, Mindy, that first trip to the square you took with your mother. Look what it has blossomed into. This is the place you said yes to Ben after proposing, and this is the place you’re going to say yes.

“It’s a special place for you, for your mother, for your family, and we are so honored that you have decided to choose us as your wedding venue. We hope you have a memory to carry through your beautiful life together.”

The couple fell in love during the pandemic after Hebert saw Shore’s profile on a dating app and messaged her.

“There was this cute picture of you smiling really cute, and I was like, ‘I want to make her smile like that,'” he told his bride in a pre-wedding interview that aired on the show.

Shore and Hebert had their first date at Chicago’s Welles Park in August 2020 and have been together ever since.

“The past three years have been full of adventures. We’ve been on so many cool trips,” she said.

Hebert added that they also “got on TV and got engaged” — a perfect proposal for the Today show superfan.

Not only does Shore watch the show religiously, but she also has a collection of Today-themed mugs, wine glasses, and wrapping paper from Kathie Lee and Hoda.

“Before that it was just, ‘Oh, she likes TODAY’ — and then I saw the wrapping paper,” he told Today.com. “That’s when it hit me exactly, the depths of her relationship with Toda and Hoda Kotb in particular.”

Shore and Hebert had already been talking about marriage when he came across the message from the Today show on X, formerly known as Twitter, looking for couples about to get engaged.

“I grew up watching the Today show and I think he realized the memories I had with my mom were so special and so important to me,” she explained.

Three weeks after they were selected for the segment, Hebert surprised Shore by getting down on one knee in front of Kotb at Today Square.

“I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to do this, and this is exactly how I wanted to do it: at 8am on live TV, while Hoda Kotb quietly condemned me,” he began. “So now I kneel before you and America. Mindy, there’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with. Will you marry me?’

After she accepted his proposal, they shared a sweet kiss – and then she walked over to Kotb to give her a hug.

Shore and Hebert had their wedding ceremony scheduled for 2025, followed by a small dinner with his family in New Orleans and a big reception with their friends in Chicago.

However, when a producer from Today approached them about getting married live on the show, it was an offer they couldn’t refuse.

“The fact that I have such an affinity for Hoda, and that we have such fond memories of coming to New York, it just seemed like a wild and crazy, spontaneous thing that felt so right for who we are as a couple,” she said. Shore to Today. .com.

The groom was dressed in a blue suit from Men’s Warehouse, while the bride sparkled in a ‘princess dress’ from Kleinfeld Bridal on their big day.

Shore and Hebert added a personal touch by writing down their own vows, which they exchanged during the televised ceremony.

“I promise to build the fun, colorful, spontaneous life we’ve always dreamed of,” she told her groom.

“I promise that as long as I’m all yours and you’re all mine, I’ll never stop striving for another, best day of our lives,” he said.

After they exchanged rings, Kotb declared them husband and wife.

“May you always remember how you feel right now as you stand in front of your family and friends and these wonderful strangers here in the Today show square,” she said before they kissed.

The newlyweds also received luggage and $3,000 for their honeymoon.

They said they are “probably” going to Greece in honor of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, which premieres in theaters this weekend.

Roker noted that NBCUniversal’s distribution company Focus Features helped plan the couple’s dream wedding.

“Maybe we can get you a screener of the movie so you can watch it on the plane,” joked the weatherman.