You don’t often associate the word “surprise” with the word
“wedding.” In fact, I imagine most
people try to minimize the number of surprises that come their way on their
wedding day. But for two of the couples
that I had the pleasure of marrying this past October, “surprise” was the theme
and, in both cases, the surprises were a big hit.
Christine & Cathy
Little did Christine and Cathy’s siblings know that when
they were invited to Razzie’s Restaurant in Sunnyside, Queens to celebrate the
couple’s tenth anniversary, they were also being invited to attend their
sisters’ wedding! But that’s exactly
what was in store. A few minutes before
their guests arrived, Cathy and Christine walked in wearing identical off-white
satin cocktail dresses and pearls. And,
as their family members arrived to attend what they thought would be a lovely
seated dinner to toast the couple’s ten years together, Cathy and Christine let
everyone in on the surprise: they were
getting married! THAT NIGHT!
That’s right -- Cathy and Christine threw their own surprise
wedding (very Julia Roberts and Danny Moder for you celebrity followers out
there). The wedding was a beautifully
intimate affair. The room was dimly lit
with candles and the alter was decorated with pictures of Cathy and Christine’s
parents on their wedding days. Guests
were inspired by Christine’s sister, a courageous breast cancer survivor, who
read Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians during the wedding, and, after the
ceremony, the couple and their guests joined one another at the same, large
table for celebratory cocktails and dinner. Tommy & Jeff
After 13 years together, Tommy and Jeff were looking forward
to getting married in New York City on 10/11/12. Hailing from Mississippi, the couple originally
planned to marry at City Hall with three of their friends in attendance. Little did Tommy and Jeff know that their
friends were putting together something a little more special for their wedding
day and planned to surprise Tommy and Jeff with their very own Central Park
wedding!
Realizing that many of their friends and family would be
unable to attend their wedding in New York City, Tommy and Jeff planned a
pre-wedding reception in late September back in Mississippi to celebrate their upcoming
nuptials. And it was at this party that
their friends surprised Tommy and Jeff with an invitation to their own wedding on October 11, 2012 at
Central Park’s Wagner Cove. I could
hardly wait to reach out to the grooms directly and get started on their
ceremony – in fact, I put an alert in my calendar that reminded me the day
after the party that it was “Okay to contact Jeff & Tommy, NOW!” In Conclusion...
Cathy and Christine surprised their siblings with their
wedding and in doing so, found a creative and exciting way to share their
ceremony with those closest to them. Jeff
and Tommy’s friends wanted to give Jeff and Tommy something more than a City
Hall ceremony, and in doing so, gave them a memorable New York City wedding in
one of the most romantic spots this city has to offer. Though perhaps a bit unconventional, the
surprises behind these two weddings only added to the specialness of Cathy and
Christine’s, and Tommy and Jeff’s wedding days!
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