What is a surprise wedding?

Firstly it is important to note that a surprise wedding isn't a surprise to YOU as a couple, but to your friends and family! It's just like organising a surprise party for someone, except this time it is a lot of people who are going to be surprised, whilst you and your partner can be smug and happy that your wedding has been planned exactly as you want it, without any fuss or without having to meet anyone's expectations about what a wedding should be like.

People that choose surprise weddings might hate all the fuss and organisation that a typical wedding involves - speeches, flower girls, posh outfits - they want to celebrate their love in their way and on their terms. Sometimes couples are very budget aware and find that a surprise wedding will help them cut costs whilst still holding a completely unique event.

So how to go about it? First of all you need to choose a fake gathering that is important enough to ensure that everyone you love will definitely be there. For example, you could hold an engagement party or special birthday party. Once you have chosen your date you need to think about your venue. If you choose a wedding celebrant you can hold your ceremony anywhere - in your back garden or a swanky hotel, or even the local pub. You are also in control about which other wedding vendors you want to involve - such as florists, caterers, photographer etc. Be aware, that your vendors will need to be in on the surprise so that they can go into secrecy mode and not blow your cover.

You will need to send out invitations early enough that your family and friends can plan to be there - and once you have got your date secured, then you need to think about how much lead time is needed. You could even start chatting about 'the party' in an more informal way prior to sending out official invitations. It might be nice to suggest a dress code, but only if you think this won't give the game away to any spies in your midst.

As part of the planning you will have to consider the timing of the day and at which point you would like your guests to be surprised! This can be done in many ways and your celebrant can advise you on this as it will vary depending on the venue, and how informal or formal you want the surprise wedding to be. The unveiling of the surprise will be momentous and this is where you can be really creative and use your imaginations. For example you could have songs on a playlist (as guests arrive) that all feature the words 'surprise' and your ceremony, once it is announced is bound to cause a huge emotional response - so make sure you take the tissues ready to hand out to your guests.

With a surprise wedding, you are creating a unique event that everyone will always remember.