Thankfully, it paid off.
There are so many little details that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to planning a wedding that you end up chatting them through with lots of people. You almost become an open book for wedding chat – what way you will have your hair, what colour your bridesmaids will wear and any other details you’re willing to divulge.
That also goes without saying that you decide a lot of the finer details with your other half. It makes the wedding day itself feel even more special if it’s a combined effort. You feel a sense of pride that you both worked together to pull off one heck of a party.
So, when I decided to do something special and surprise my husband on the day, I never realised how hard it would be to keep secret. What I had planned was to get lots of different celebrities to pretend they couldn’t come to our wedding.
I’m very lucky with my role in here at Her that I get the opportunity to sit down and interview celebrities and also to meet them at events. I managed to convince some of them to take part and speak directly to camera to my husband, Cillian, and say sorry that they couldn’t make it.
Here is the finished product:
Keeping that secret from him, and everyone else, was nearly impossible. Between the excitement of it and the actual plan and execution, I nearly cracked a few times.
Plus, my friends would know that I’m not afraid of the microphone so every time they asked if I was going to make a speech I had to pause for a minute and just say ‘no’. When in reality, I was going to make a short speech to introduce the video.
It wasn’t just down to my friends and family. Cillian and I were on the same email thread for the venue, who I had to liaise with for a screen, and making sure not to email him instead of her about details of it was very difficult. Also, the photographer had to be in the loop on the surprise to capture the moment and his reaction. Again, it had to be done on a separate thread and by catching a few moments with her when he wasn’t looking.
My phone was also off limits to Cillian, as that’s where I had most of the videos. Every time he went near it I yelped, which isn’t the best sort of reaction you’d expect from a couple about to marry. I just told him I had pictures of me in my dress so that he wouldn’t go near it.
Finally, on the day, I had nearly got away with it when he spotted the huge screen in the dance floor. As we had planned every detail together he automatically asked me what it was for. Thinking on the spot, I said that the photographer was going to do a slideshow of photos from the day. He bought it, thankfully.
Planning a surprise is totally worthwhile but it certainly kept me on my toes for the months leading up to the big day.
