Imagine this: you get an invitation from your good friend inviting you to their engagement party, and you think "yay, finally! let's party!" The day comes and you arrive to the venue ready to eat, drink, and celebrate but you see a ceremony setup on your way in... Then as you take your seat, your friends grab a mic and say "SURPRISE, WE ARE GETTING MARRIED TODAY!!" What a treat right?! On today's blog, we want to highlight one of our amazing couples that did just that!
Mimie and Bryant were together for a few years when they started talking about getting married, but honestly were a little stressed when it came to all the details and pre-wedding traditions that they just didn't feel fit their personalities. So they decided to do a surprise wedding, one where only them and their parents knew for months leading to the big day.
We asked Mimie to share her experience planning her dream wedding in the most unique situation and here's what she had to say:
"Doing our wedding this way gave us the freedom to pick and choose what we wanted to incorporate in our day. I was able to have the important elements (first dance, cake cutting) in our day, but also get rid of the ones that we didn't care about (rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, bouquet/garter toss). I thought doing our wedding this way would bypass the stress of wedding planning, but it was hard in so many other ways! I felt like I was lying to my friends and family and that was really hard. I'm also a planner, very organized, and was eager to get married, so when I didn't have a date picked out for over three months, people started getting suspicious."
“One of the most important things to me was the reveal of the surprise. I wanted our videographer and photographer to catch the look on everyones faces. I may have even told her that it was more important to get the reaction from our guests than our first kiss.. LOL. My favorite part of the wedding was Bryant's speech revealing what was going on and the shock on everyones face when they figured it out. It also seemed like since everyone was so excited about the surprise, that they were more present in the moment. I don't think I saw anyone on their phones at all, they were up dancing and having a good time!”
“I also just wanted to have the perfect ceremony. It was important because it is the start of our marriage, so I wanted all of the words to be meaningful and beautiful, but also not too long. One of our best friends was our officiant, so I got to work with him on the perfect ceremony script. It was also so special having someone who we love and who loves us perform our ceremony. “
“Remember that at the end of the day, your goal is to get married to the love of your life! It's about the marriage, not the wedding, so if things go wrong, go give your partner a kiss and know that it will all be okay! I forgot my bouquet when walking down the aisle, but I had it in all my pictures and not a single guest noticed that it was missing. I was the only one who even knew that I didn't have it, so just remember that some things that are a big deal to you, your guests won't even notice or remember!!! Also, I know everyone says it, but your day goes by SO FAST!!! Remember to drink it all in, and enjoy the moments as they come!!!"
We were so excited to be part of this process with Mimie and Bryant. As a wedding planner used to the traditional planning and day-of process, we were so happy to get the opportunity to do something so special!
Mimie and Bryant's excitement was absolutely contagious which made each vendor appointment and planning session so fun and light hearted. Every person involved was anticipating the big day even more, knowing how shocked their guests would be! All the details came together perfectly and their family and friends truly enjoyed themselves as they celebrated the surprise newlyweds
Stay tuned for a full gallery of their Engagement Party turned Surprise Wedding!
Happy Planning!
Venue & Catering @canyonoaksevents // Planning & Design @530bride // Florals @north_bloom // Beauty @chicosalondiamond // DJ @elitesounddj // Rentals @wedodesigns // Cake @cinful_desserts // Cinema @leslieberryproductions
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