WEDDING NOTES™ – Surprise!

A growing trend among couples planning a second or third wedding is the surprise wedding.  While some grooms may like the idea of surprising their intended with a surprise wedding, it takes a very organized fellow to pull that off without the bride’s knowledge.

What we are talking about is a wedding planned by both the bride to be and her groom to be.  The surprise is for the guests.  Typically the couple host a party for themselves – birthday, house warming, Halloween, or no reason – just invite guests and family and  Surprise!  The wedding happens at the party.  Good friends can be brought into the surprise by having them host the party – but with lips sealed as to the real reason for the event.

Of course, some pre planning is necessary – you need an officiant and the license plus it would be a good idea to work out how and when in the party the ceremony will take place.  

You can hold the event in a home, hotel, restaurant, boat – wherever you like.  Just make sure the location chosen is large enough for the crowd you invite and for party foods.

You will want to have the wedding style match the wedding site just as in a ceremony and reception that is well known in advance.  If you want a formal affair, select an elegant location and invite black tie on the invitations you send out.  If this is to be a kick back informal event, invite people to wear casual attire and/or western apparel.

Another approach is to invite people to a house party and then when all guests have arrived, load them into limos or buses or cars and take them to the ceremony site and reception location.  This is a more complicated and expensive surprise but it can be special and memorable.

If a surprise event is on your maybe list, give us a call.  We have tons of good ideas for how, where and when to really surprise family and guests.  With a wedding like this, you avoid a great deal of stress around the expectations that come from a formal wedding celebration.