“Ambush Weddings”—Or, Surprising Guests With On-the-Spot Weddings—Are Apparently Becoming a Thing
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Surprise! There just might be a new trend in the wedding world.
We’ve been seeing quite a bit lately (New York Post, Jezebel, New York Times) on the idea of “ambush weddings,” which are weddings that happen when would-be guests are gathering together for some other sort of occasion—they think they’re arriving for a birthday party or somesuch—and end up finding out that their hosts are, in fact, going to be tying that knot right then and there.
More and more people, apparently, are opting to skip the whole planning process, and instead, surprise their friends with an on-the-spot wedding. We’re familiar with this concept, and all—it’s just that it’s historically been tucked away in celebrity world. (Remember when Julia Roberts and Danny Moder did it, over a decade ago?)
It’s no surprise that celebs would want to keep their Big-Day plans a secret, but now it seems that regular folks are choosing this option, too, and for a variety of reasons. The New York Post piece tells us about a couple who planned a going-away-party-turned-surprise-wedding, a couple who decided to take the surprise plunge after a health scare, and a groom who surprised his fiance with an ambush wedding (which we have seen before, but still seems like risky behavior to us). Commenters on the Jezebel article who have done the surprise wedding thing also share a few of their personal reasons for going that route.
So why skip the traditional “I dos”? Well, to sum it up:
“Ambush weddings are part of a bigger trend of couples doing away with the traditional way of doing weddings,” says Carmen Feliciano, CEO of pennyandmary.com, a New York-based wedding vendor site.
“It’s driven by a few things: cost, need for personalization and time. People just don’t want to spend a year and a half having wedding planning in the back of their minds.”
Definitely makes sense, but we can’t help but wonder: What about those friends who don’t see your “surprise birthday party” as a reason to miss their previously scheduled event, or even just their favorite team’s football game—but who would obviously choose otherwise if they realized you were getting hitched? We’d be tempted to follow-up every “no” RSVP with a little secret-sharing, just to be sure all our closet peeps were there.
So, what do you think? Would you consider surprising your friends and family with an ambush wedding?
RELATED: Video: Groom Surprises Bride With Proposal—and Wedding!—on Same Day
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