A surprise wedding can be so much fun but it is a lesson in logistics to pull it off successfully.

The core element of success is obviously creating the surprise in the first place. If 99% of the guests there know a wedding is about to take place, it technically isn’t a surprise!

So how do you ensure that all the people you want are there, your guests arrive on time and not fashionably late and the transition from informal gathering to wedding procession is managed smoothly rather than chaotically.

Chris and Danni were the perfect couple to plan a surprise wedding – they are creative, outgoing and well organized folk who like nothing better than to gather family and friends together for a festive occasion. They pulled their surprise off to the tears, laughter and cheers of their astonished guests in a moment that will live with them a lifetime.

However bride Danni did say “when we were planning our surprise wedding, we hunted high and low for surprise wedding advice but we couldn’t find anything very specific or helpful. We were so pleased at how it all came together in the end, our party was brilliant and we were still dancing sometime after 4am!”

As a celebrant, I have found the core success factors of a surprise wedding are:

  • Finding creative ways to ensure immediate family know they really need to be there without giving the game away,
  • Ensuring the guests arrived on time (not fashionably late thus missing the ceremony) and
  • Planning the key cues that transition the guests from party/picnic/dinner to being active witnesses at the ceremony.

In this instance, all the planning paid off to create a unique and magical moment.

To facilitate the surprise, Chris and Danni chose New Year’s Eve 2011 and their engagement as a good excuse to throw a party and get everyone together. They picked a location high up in the hills to watch the setting sun go down on 2011 (thus giving guests a non negotiable arrival time) and used the styling skills of Her Hand Picked Harvest to create a casual, vintage and very cool party atmosphere.

Photographer Nicolle Versteeg mingled with guests initially capturing party snaps, while I tried to look less like a marriage celebrant and more like one of the band member’s chicks (trying to channel my inner groupie – not an easy task!) to avoid being caught out. The bride donned a gorgeous black party dress and mingled with guests putting a few suspicious guests off the scent immediately.

We planned the start of engagement speeches as the cue to gather people around and then managed the transition with a dramatic turn that featured three flowergirls running through the crowd with balloons and ribbon creating an impromptu aisle!

The bride then entered in a dramatically different white frock to Ingrid Michaelson’s The Way I am, sung by the band, enabling us to step seamlessly into a wedding ceremony that was filled with all the energy, laughter, tears and love that a successful surprise wedding can bring.

Other successful surprise weddings that I have had the honour of officiating have included using the Groom’s milestone birthday as a ruse or a family Christmas picnic get together as means to gather folk. A singing groom followed by a celebrity guest singer helped set the transition from 40th birthday to wedding procession. While at the family picnic I arrived instead of Santa to cue the ceremony arrival and the bride’s car. In both these occasions, two fly in siblings had to be told of the surprise but they managed to keep their lips sealed!

Photography by Nicolle Versteeg. You can see more images of Chris and Danni’s surprise wedding at her blog.

 

Ms Gingham says: Imagine keeping this secret while planning the whole thing, not being able to talk to people about your plans or get anyone’s advice! On the plus side… no one interfering or telling you what you should be doing! Almost like eloping but not! Brilliant if you can pull it off and keep your cool!

About Danicia Dutry Ceremonies: One of life’s most amazing milestones is to find a partner to share your life. Creating a bespoke ceremony requires exceptional planning, facilitation and people skills. It is my pleasure to offer this service to couples embarking on their life journey. I have worked in professional communications and research roles for over 15 years; including senior positions with some of Australia’s leading companies. I ensure my professional experience forms the base of each ceremony but add the warmth and magic that are the essential key ingredients to creating a wonderful ceremony that enables your friends and family to feel an active part.

Read more by Danicia Dutry Ceremonies here.