Recently, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux joined the ranks of famous couples like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, as well as Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan who all had similar hush-hush ceremonies.
While celebrities get hitched secretly for privacy and security reasons, ordinary couples throw a surprise wedding for different reasons. Some couples want a wedding without the hassle that goes with the planning. Some see it as a way to save on expenses. Others want to get married as soon as possible, while some just like to stage a dramatic surprise.
The concept of a surprise wedding is pretty straightforward: Couples invite close family and friends to an event like a birthday or engagement party. Then, when all the guests have arrived, the bride and groom will tell the guests that the event is, surprise!, actually a wedding ceremony.
Before you decide that you want one too, weigh carefully the advantages and disadvantages of having a surprise wedding:
Advantages
· No badgering from family and friends about wedding details
· Less pressure to make it lavish
· You’ll save some money
· It will be memorable
Disadvantages
· Some of your loved ones might not attend, thinking the supposed event isn’t important
· Family members may be hurt that they were not told of the secret beforehand
· No wedding gifts
If you’ve decided to go ahead and spring a surprise wedding, here are some tips to make it a success:
· The hardest part about it is to keep it a secret. It’s a good idea though to let your parents and siblings know that you’re having a surprise wedding to avoid hurting their feelings. Anyone can spill your secret, so tell as few people as possible. Don’t forget to tell all your vendors you’re throwing a surprise wedding. Make sure that they’ll be able to keep it secret.
· To ensure that invited guests will attend, think of milestone birthdays, anniversaries or even engagement parties. You can also tie your surprise wedding to a planned holiday or vacation where family and friends will be together.
· So as not to arouse suspicion, make sure that you and your groom-to-be are on the same page on the details of your supposed “birthday” or “engagement” party.
· Be prepared for some people who will feel left out. What you can do is explain to them that you didn’t want the stress of a traditional wedding, but still wanted to share your special day with them. Hopefully, they’ll eventually understand.
A surprise wedding requires a lot of planning. Be sure to assign a person in charge to help facilitate everything. Why not hire a wedding planner from Delegate to help you in the preparations?
(Image via Pexels)
