Are you thinking about having a surprise wedding?
Surprise weddings are a fabulous way to keep your wedding under wraps and ensure that you have the ceremony you want. If no-one knows … they can’t tell you what you MUST do.
You choose what you want to happen and what you want in your ceremony.
Can I surprise my partner?
No. You and your partner most both know about and agree to the wedding. Consent is a foundation of the Marriage Act 1961.
As your marriage celebrant, when you sign the first of the legal documents required as part of your marriage (the Notice of Intended Marriage) I ensure you both understand what you are doing and are consenting to the marriage.
Your ceremony can’t be a surprise for either of you.
How do we tell everyone we're having a surprise wedding?
That’s the fun part – there are no rules and so we will work that out.
As your wedding celebrant, I’ll chat with you about what you want, how you see the ceremony unfolding, and what roles we will all play. All of that will be planned out in the ceremony I’ll draft for you and send to you well ahead of your wedding.
I’ve officiated at many surprise weddings – and they have all unfolded in a unique way. I’ve turned birthday parties into weddings, I’ve interrupted speeches, I’ve been there as guests turn up for an engagement party to find ‘welcome to our wedding’ signs.
Each has had it’s own special moments … from everyone realising the bride wasn’t there – they’d been busily listening to a speech by her daughter, to watching it slowly dawn on a grandmother what was actually happening.
Creating your special memories.
As your wedding celebrant I’ll chat with you about how your guests will react and how we can maximise on those moments. There are so many unique things we can do!
In planning, we will consider who will be there, ways we can capitalise on your venue as well as what is important to you and what memories you want to create.
Surprise wedding ideas!
Sara and Jesse knew that there would be guests disappointed about not being able to give them a wedding present and wedding wishes and so we have cards ready for everyone to write on.
Prior to the ceremony, everyone put their wishes into a special wine box that Sarah and Jesse had organised. They had also chosen a special bottle of wine to be put down until their 5th anniversary.
The wine box with wine and wishes was locked by Sarah and Jesse after their vows and they will open it and read everyone’s thoughts on their anniversary.
Linda and Iain wanted an interactive ceremony – it was part way through a birthday party.
Once we announced that it was actually a wedding party, we handed around the microphone and guests were encouraged to say what they were thinking in 10 words or less.
It was fabulous!
Do we need to tell our wedding vendors it’s a wedding?
I’d encourage you to be open and honest with your vendors (venue, photographer, cake etc).
We are all on your side and want everything to flow smoothly. Canberra is small (2 degrees of separation they say) and we are all good at keeping secrets.
We want to see everyone surprised.
Beyond that – the fewer people who know, the more likely it is that your surprise will be a surprise.
What do we need to do?
Just like any wedding – one of the first things is to meet with a wedding celebrant and ensure that you know the legal requirements and then … the fun starts as we begin planning.
Call me and we can chat and make your wedding dream come true!
A Little More Info:
I’ve Got You Covered! - Your Celebrant Ready For Anything!... Types of Ceremonies I Perform As A Celebrant In Canberra
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