Anyone ever done a surprise wedding?

Bryans12vBryans12v Registered Users Posts: 362 Major grins
edited July 23, 2011 in Weddings
I booked a wedding for a lovely couple who are doing this. The theme is supposed to be an engagement party at a very nice winery hosted by the parents. After cocktails and hors d' oeuvres the couple are discretely going to sneak off and get dressed and suprise everyone with thier ceremony. I think them sneaking off is awesome and is going to make for a good time!

I was just wondering if anyone has ever come across something similar?

Any cool ideas to share?

Also, the bride to be mentioned to me that this is going to be inter-faith. Her fiance is Catholic and she is Methodist. I know most methodist churches dont allow photos during the vows but being as this is a "on location" it may not matter ( I already have her finding out) but being as that Im not big on religion, I was wondering what, if anything, this may bring to the table.

Comments

  • WillCADWillCAD Registered Users Posts: 722 Major grins
    edited July 17, 2011
    I'm subscribing to this thread, because the idea is very intriguing and I want to see the resulting photos.

    I love pleasant surprises.
    What I said when I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time: "The wide ain't wide enough and the zoom don't zoom enough!"
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited July 17, 2011
    I did a surprise wedding years ago. One of those that despite having done near 1000 weddings, i'll always remember as one of the best.

    The couple told the family and friends they ahd won a harbour cruise for 50 people on a radio competition. Got them all to meet at a location where their friends yacht was and they jumped out of a taxi in their wedding gear and said surprise!

    I remember the Grooms brother being really upset with himself for wearing jeans at what turned out to be his brothers wedding as he seemed to be a well heeled type of guy but even with jeans still looked very well dressed.
    There were 15 people all up and we got on the yacht and sailed to an island in the middle of the harbour where the celebrant was and they got married under a concrete gazebo type thing. As soon as the ceremony finished it started raining which was nice being it was in summer and warm.

    As time got on I said to teh B&G, well you ready to go take some pics? Over there and over there is nice. They said in the rain, I said sure, unless your planning on getting dressed up and coming back tomorrow. they said what the hell and we went and did pics ander an umbrella and with out.
    the shots were spectacular and the couple hammed it up and didn't worry a bit about the rain and with the backdrop of Sydney harbour the rain was an absoloute assett.

    We went back to the city on the boat and walked through the streets with the couple dressed up and I got grat shots of strangers congradulating the couple and smiling etc.
    The couple had booked the top floor of a small italian restaurant in a very old building in the rocks area of the city and had invited about another 30 friends under the guise of the grooms 27Th birthday even though he was a fair bit older which no one picked up on.

    I stood in the doorway getting shots of people reaction when they saw the couple dressed up and told them surprise. A lot of the guys particularly were very embarrassed about their gifts being definate blokey things like bottles of scotch and aftershave packs etc instead of anything the bride could use.

    Even though the couple were not of italian decent, the meal was very traditional italian and informal and everyone ate like pigs and stuffed themselves silly. The brides fater and I had hit it off and he came and grabbed me and put me in the seat he organised for me right opposite on the from him and a waiter borought out this huge platter of spagetti bolognase and put it right in front of us. We looked up and down the table and everyone else had food in fron of them and there was no room for plates for us so the father gave them to a waiter and said this is outs and we dug in. the 2 of us finished that tray of pasta that literally had enough for about 10 people on it.

    To this day I don't know how we did it but it was damn good and we washed it down with a couple of bottles of vino for good measure.

    That was one of the best wedding I have ever done.
    The fact it was small and close with the family to start and then the friends who were all people who meant something to the couple rather than the people from work and inviting these aquaitences because you had to invite some others I think made the atmosphere what it was.
    It was so different to be treated like family rather than the hired help and I think it showed in the pics.

    Of the brides sisters worked for a company that published a bridal mag and took a shot into them and they rang me and did a feature on the wedding with a shot of the B&G in the rain holding the umbrella behind them rather than over them on the island with the Bridge in the background as the cover shot of the mag.
    I had the shot blown up to 40x40 and showed it at bridal fairs and it got me a LOT of work.

    I also entered the same shot in the photography awards and typically the judjes nitpicked stupid things and ignored the essence and emotion of the shot and it got no where. Anyone want to know why I don't bother with Photo comps? rolleyes1.gif

    That was the only surprise wedding I have done and definately one of the very best and one i'll never forget.
  • ShepsMomShepsMom Registered Users Posts: 4,319 Major grins
    edited July 18, 2011
    I had a wedding back in 07 where bride didn't know she was about to be married.... It was interesting to say the least. It was a surprise proposal and a wedding the same day, set up by the groom and friends. Weird stuff.

    I have a surprise wedding coming up in November, small gathering of friends at the park who think it's an engagement party but my couple will surprise them with the marriage ceremony, i can't wait.
    Marina
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  • PhotometricPhotometric Registered Users Posts: 309 Major grins
    edited July 18, 2011
    Just did one on June 26th. Couple was having their daughter christened and decided to go for a surprise wedding at the same time. I don't want to bore everyone with details, however the couple were amazingly wonderful people and there was a real sense of surprise by the guests at the announcement of the wedding . If you have any questions I can offer what my experience was like and lessons learned.
    http://www.djdimages.com/

    "Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition."
    -- Abraham Lincoln
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited July 18, 2011
    GLORT,

    Please post that shot!! I want to see it!

    Sam
  • bobcoolbobcool Registered Users Posts: 271 Major grins
    edited July 18, 2011
    Sam wrote: »
    GLORT,

    Please post that shot!! I want to see it!

    Sam


    Me too! I'd love to see the set if you have it online, as it sounds like a very fun wedding with such nice folks...
  • GlortGlort Registered Users Posts: 1,015 Major grins
    edited July 18, 2011
    I shot the Pic on Medium format and don't think I ever had a digitised image of it. If i can find the mag cover in one souvineer collection, I'll scan and post it. I did have a 40x40 print of the shot but i don't know what happened to that either now. Probably left it at a bridal shop or something for display.

    Damn, it's going to play on my mind now till I find a copy of the pic somewhere. headscratch.gif
  • KinkajouKinkajou Registered Users Posts: 1,240 Major grins
    edited July 23, 2011
    Here's one I've come across before...
    Webpage

    Spread the love! Go comment on something!
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