The biggest part to organising a surprise wedding? Being able to keep a secret! Any wedding is an exciting occasion, and when you feel that elation of the wedding planning process you might find it hard not to share with your group of friends how fun it was picking wedding flowers, or tasting wedding cakes. So have you got the will power to keep your surprise under wraps?
The next step, how will you disguise your surprise wedding? Will you keep your wedding a secret by inviting everyone to your engagement party instead? Is there a birthday that you can build your secret wedding around? The event in disguise needs to grab your guests attention. It isn’t uncommon during the peak social times of the year that we all receive many invites to events on a single day/night, so you need to make a big enough deal of your ‘event’ that your guests prioritise your invite above all others. You also need to consider if there are special people interstate that you want to be at your secret wedding – perhaps you need to let them in on the secret, as they would be expecting they’d have a wedding to travel to in the future, and may be trying to save their money in the lead up.
The big moment – the SURPRISE announcement – a moment that is likely to get your heart racing! There are a few ways you can announce that your guests have actually found themselves at a secret wedding;
- Make a thank you toast to everyone for attending – and announce your surprise.
- Disappear part way through your party and return in your wedding outfits (which means you can still wear a beautiful wedding dress on your special day without giving the secret away!),
- Arrive at your own party late in your wedding attire and watch jaws drop!
Can you imagine the look on everyone’s faces when they realise you have organised a surprise wedding? That is a moment that you don’t want to forget – so during your surprise wedding planning, find a wedding photographer who is going to not only be able to keep your secret as they photograph your ‘party’, but has the magic touch with their photography, to ensure you get beautiful wedding photos that really capture all the work you put into your big surprise.
Don’t forget to factor in some time after the surprise for your wedding party photos – just because you aren’t hosting a traditional wedding ceremony and reception, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the special day documented in the same way!
There are a few people you might want to tell, perhaps your grandparents and parents so they aren’t too shocked on the day, and your closest friend so they can help you with your surprise wedding planning. Give yourself some time to plan your wedding, when you have to do it in secret you might find it harder to steal that uninterrupted time to plan when you aren’t worried about being busted!
Joy, shock, laughter – you can expect it all when you organise a surprise wedding. So if you think you can hold back from sharing the joy of your secret wedding, have fun with your wedding planning and big event – and invite Jade Norwood Wedding Photography along for the fun!
(Just a little side note – don’t surprise the Government with your wedding – you still need to register for a marriage license!)