After their wedding video went viral, the Lipperts’ nuptials became a public spectacle, something the bride also didn’t object to: “Usually, you talk about your wedding before it happens and then no one really talks about it after. Well, I get to talk about it after, and everyone wants to see my video. That’s exciting.”
Momentary Internet fame aside, Mr. Lippert worked hard to get Colleen’s circle on board. They hesitated until he convinced them he was crafting the wedding based on Colleen’s directives for the mythical barbecue: “I had to sell it.”
More terror ensued when Mr. Lippert revealed his plans to the seamstress: “There were three brides getting their dresses altered, they were all up on their boxes standing in front of the mirrors. They heard the whole conversation and when I turned around, all three were staring at me in horror at what I was planning to do for my bride.”
In the case of the Majurys' nuptials, a surprise only to guests, the groom said he was unaware of any disapproval “other than my mom smacking me on the back of the head and then giving me an immediate hug.”
Springing a wedding on unsuspecting guests is an “amazing gift,” said Catherine Lash, creative director at the Wedding Co. in Toronto.
“It gives them the element of surprise,” said Ms. Lash, pointing out that many guests will have already suffered through several dreary ceremonies that year.
That said, pranking the guests is still a gamble. Since the ruse event won’t be declared a wedding, some guests simply won’t show up, she said. Others might be miffed that they dressed for Uncle Marv’s retirement party – arriving in jeans, sans gift.
“You can’t do it if you’ve got people who are expecting real tradition. When you’re the host of a party, you have to take everybody into consideration. It’s not all about you.”
Still, that’s precisely why many couples go the surprise route with guests: It gives them full control over their wedding.
“There is unsolicited advice from mom, dad, brothers, sisters, friends. This keeps people out and the bride and the groom get what they want,” said Julianne Cragg, owner of A Modern Proposal Event Planning in Edmonton.
But she and other wedding planners agree that surprising a significant other is much more dicey than fooling some guests. Ms. Cragg painted this dark scenario: “The risk is the other partner getting upset that they didn’t get to be a part in the planning and maybe storming off – or maybe saying, ‘I never wanted to marry you!’”
“You have to have a really good sense of who your partner is. It’s a really unique couple that could actually pull that off,” said Ms. Lash.
With the benefit of hindsight, Mr. Lippert said he wouldn’t recommend any man plan a wedding for his bride, let alone a surprise wedding.
“It’s a lot of work and stress. I took all that pressure away from her. She even slept that night – I didn’t.”
