Family Filled Surprise Wedding at Alia

Some love stories are written over the years, each chapter more beautiful than the last. For Sarah and Victor, their surprise wedding was a testament to the life they’ve built together – a celebration of love, family, and cherished memories. Guests thought they were celebrating Victor’s 40th birthday but were instead welcomed into a night filled with laughter, heartfelt tributes, and the joy of two people finally saying, “I do.” With personal touches and the warm embrace of loved ones, their wedding was a perfect reflection of a love that has grown stronger through time – all captured by the talented Jenny Wu!

Victor and Sarah met 20 years ago, but it wasn’t until early 2014 that their modern-day love story really began. “We spoke for ages, catching up until the early morning hours. He suggested we get McDonald’s breakfast that very morning; the rest is history, I suppose!”

Sarah knew Victor had a ring, but she had no clue when or how he was planning to propose. It wasn’t until she was woken up in early 2020 that he asked her right then and there! “I told him, “It’s not funny, and it isn’t something to joke about”, turning back around to enjoy my sleep again. He tapped me and told me his being serious; through the confusion and still half asleep, I said yes… wondering if it was an episode of punk’d,” she explained. “I quite literally took the ring, kissed him, and went back to sleep… The next morning, I still had the ring, so it wasn’t a dream, and I realised it was his mum’s birthday on the 6th of January, who had passed away three years prior. I knew she would have been so happy, and it was his way to make sure she could be a part of the special moment.”

Since Sarah planned this surprise wedding in just under six weeks, everything she picked out had to be off the shelf – like her gorgeous Bec + Bridge one-shoulder dress! “I bought a size up and had it altered so that it fit like a glove. I highly recommend it; so many people asked after the wedding where I got my dress!”

These gorgeous flowers were created by the talented Joanne Flowers of Manuka and styled by Events by Bridget, with a mixture of real and faux florals. “Flowers were the last thing I considered. Actually, I had a quick look on Pinterest and found the style I was going for and contacted the florist. They were extremely helpful. They did an amazing job of mixing them together and bulking up the flowers. So a cost saving there.”

Victor wore a simple MJ Bale suit with a bowtie and red floral boutonniere. “He loves their suits, so it was a no-brainer that he would wear one on his big day,” Sarah shared.

As Victor turned 40 days before the wedding, guests were led to believe they showing up to celebrate his birthday. “We have been together for over ten years and thought, why not get married? We have three beautiful children, a mortgage, and pets. So might as well make it official.”

Their photographer, Jenny Wu, was the MVP of this surprise wedding! “She made everyone feel so relaxed and nailed the brief of wanting our photos to be fun and streetscape. No photos of ours were posed. It was just us being us, loving each other, laughing together and freezing our butts off.”

While Sarah can’t pick any one photo from this beautiful day, she says, “Probably any of the ones of us laughing and just being “us”. The photos are not posed. They are us just enjoying each other.”

They wanted to include all their loved ones on this special day, including those who have passed. So Sarah and Victor set up an “in loving memory” table full of photos of people they wanted to honour. “We couldn’t have the day without including them, which included Victor’s Best friend Brian, Victor’s Mum Cecila, and my Poppy John and Grandma Beverley,” Sarah shared. “I also had a little photo of Victor’s mum made into a pin so that he could have his Mother with him on his special day. We loved her so much, and she loved us back. We miss her dearly.”

Alia was the first and only venue they looked at for their surprise wedding. It was incredibly important for Sarah and Victor to pick a space that wouldn’t give away their surprise. “Alia is a new Bar & Restaurant in the city of Canberra. It matched the vibe and had a beautiful fit-out. We did some flowers on the table, but other than that, it was all the Alia.”

In their wedding party, Victor and Sarah had their three children! Their daughter wore a beautiful Oscar De Ariana dress, and their two sons wore matching navy blue suits.

They walked down the aisle as a family, something Sarah and Victor decided to do last minute but was the perfect choice! They walked to “You Are The Reason (Duet Version)” by Callum Scott and Leona Lewis.

To run the ceremony, Sarah picked out Canberra’s best celebrant – Sarah Marie! “It was us! She had the whole place laughing about our story, which is exactly what we wanted. We love life, and we love to laugh even more. She executed it amazingly, and so many people raved about our ceremony. We had our children hand us our rings, which was very special.”

The top three things that made their surprise wedding so special were:

“1. Our families being able to attend,

2. The fun party vibe,

3. Surprising all our family and friends!”

There was no first dance for these two love birds, they got straight into the party and eating portion of the night! “Again, we just wanted it to be a really relaxed FUN vibe.”