You’ve heard of a surprise proposal but what about a surprise wedding? It’s totally a thing! If you haven’t heard of one, a surprise wedding is where the engaged couple gets their closest friends and family together under a ruse and when they all show up it’s actually their wedding! There are a few reasons that I’ve heard of couples doing this, but a big one is because they want to have a stress free wedding day without input from others.
I totally understand that and am a huge cheerleader for doing your wedding day your way! However, I do think there are a few things to keep in mind while planning your surprise wedding day.
1. Make sure the important people are there
This may seem like a no brainer, but you want to ensure that the most important people to you actually show up for your surprise wedding! To keep the element of surprise, test the waters by asking if people want to get together for a BBQ, game night, etc and find out if people can or can’t be there. If that really isn’t your family’s style, is there a big event coming up like a birthday or baby shower that you can piggyback off of in a respectful way? Of course don’t outshine the birthday boy or mom-to-be, but could you suggest a BBQ the day after their event while everyone is in town?
2. Don’t surprise your wedding vendors
If there is one group of people you do not want to surprise, it’s your wedding vendors. Most couples will choose to have a photographer, a florist, and possibly a caterer or baker. Ensure that your wedding vendors KNOW that you are hiring them for a wedding! It’s important for vendors to be fully prepared for every event so that they can do their job to the best of their abilities. Let them know that it’s a surprise wedding and that way they can help keep the surprise but prep on the back end for a wedding.
3. Pick a trusted helper
Ok, I know I told you to make sure the most important people are there, but let’s face it, it’s hard to pin down people! There’s always one person who has a reason they can’t make it and you don’t want to blow the surprise by pushing the issue too hard. So pick a person that you know you can trust to help you keep the surprise under wraps but also help nudge people to attend.
4. Still treat it like a wedding
Just because you may be having a smaller wedding without the traditional planning, it’s still your wedding day! Do the things that are important to you. Go try on dresses or pick a beautiful bouquet. Hire your favorite wedding photographer or have your favorite dessert for after the ceremony. You can still have those special touches without the traditional planning.
There you have it! Those are a few of my top tips for planning your surprise wedding. I’d love to chat with you about how I can help plan the logistics as a photographer and capture your wedding day.
-Liz
