Surprise Weddings
When you consider the cost of a traditional formal wedding, the extraordinary number of hours involved throughout the planning process, trying to please both family and friends and living up to expectations, it’s no wonder a lot of couples are jumping onboard the latest wedding fad….a ‘surprise wedding’ and opting to have a party and enjoy the celebrations without the stress.
With over 12,000 weddings experience, we’ve seen lots of trends come and go and this new fad is certainly gathering momentum for a number of reasons in that not only is it saving a substantial amount of money and time, its the element of ‘surprise’ that’s appealing to couples.
Imagine at your engagement party your DJ/MC breaks the music and gets the attention of all the guests. They host a random interview/chat with the couple sitting on stools on the dance floor asking a host of questions like, why haven’t you married yet and what’s taken so long? Asking for parents to come out on dance floor and interviewing them along with who would you have in your bridal party, let’s get them up…….. and then your DJ/MC says “let’s do it now“!…..and/or I will give you 10 minutes to change your dress/suit and we’ll come back and do a mock wedding for practise, only for it to be real!
The looks on your guests faces would be priceless!
THE CONCEPT OF A SURPRISE WEDDING
The concept of a ‘surprise wedding’ is simple and quite easy to pull off. You can leave it all to us, or do it yourself!
· Choose a location or venue
· Engage your suppliers – tell them it’s a surprise and to keep quiet about arrangements
· Invite friends and family over for a housewarming/engagement/birthday party,
· Quickly upscale your outfit, freshen up your make up and hair,
· and then your engagement/party turns into a ‘surprise wedding’ with your DJ/MC who’s a Celebrant, that will take your family and loved ones by surprise!
The last thing you want is a celebrant lurking around creating suspicion that kills the surprise. No one suspects the DJ/MC is a Celebrant!
You can also randomly involve your guests and family. We’ve even thrown all guests names into a hat and drawn names at random to be the bridal party, read a poem, scatter petals, offer the rings, be a flower girl etc. or you can pre plan and tell your bridal party in confidence.
Be sure to engage our Professional Accredited Wedding Photographers and or a Mirror Photo Booth from our trusted partners at In the Mirror Photo Booths to capture all the moments.
The move from traditional sit-down dinners and formalities, to a casual cocktail/pizza/family style food service is becoming very common and most popular amongst our clients. This format lends itself to a more relaxed, informal celebration and hence the reason engagement parties are a great event to stage the surprise. Timing is critical on the night and try to give guests a reason to be on time e.g. Cocktail hour, so the majority of guests are present and on time and don’t miss the ceremony. Rehearsals are important to ensure all timelines and formalities are to schedule along with music production all sorted.
Meet with suppliers and your Celebrant/DJ/MC to ensure all legal documents are prepared and ready to go and supplier services are at the ready. You will need to fill out you NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage) form no later than 30 days prior to your surprise wedding. Your celebrant will guide you through the process and help you throughout planning process.
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THE PROS AND CONS
There are a number of Pros and Cons to consider with surprise weddings and here are a few to consider;
Cons;
· Some family and friends may not attend knowing it’s an engagement/party
· You may not receive presents
· People generally don’t like surprises and will feel under dressed
· Family may want a traditional wedding
· There is no pre wedding day hype and build up
· You can’t ask family and friends for assistance in planning the surprise, so engage Love Me Do Weddings to assist you with all the formalities and planning.
The Pros on the other hand;
· You’ll save a lot of money, time and stress
· You will only have the people present who really want to be there for you
· Surprising people is fun
· People leave you alone
· Less formalities and more casual without the pressure and expectations
Look for opportunities like family get together and avoid churches and make sure you choose a venue and or location that doesn’t arouse suspicion.
There’s far less pressure to make your wedding formal and the ‘surprise’ factor can be epic. It’s kind of in between a formal traditional wedding and an elopement. You keep your family and friends happy and enjoy the celebrations without the stress.
If you’re looking for assistance, try a ‘complete surprise wedding’ package at https://lovemedo.love/surprise-wedding/
Happy Planning
John Middleton – Entertainment Director/DJ/MC/Celebrant
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