Having been together for eight years, Haylee and Mac decided to throw out all the expectations of what people think a wedding should be. As none of their families had met, on April 22nd 2023, both families and their closest friends were invited to what thought would be an engagement party and a meeting of the families. To their surprise, it was actually their wedding day! Smiles and happy tears all round!

“Our wedding had a moody spring theme with just a little edge”, Haylee told us. “We wanted it to be simple, with minimal stressors and the focus on family, friends, food, and drink.”

Only four people were in on the secret beforehand, including the bride’s sister who was their officiant, and sister-in-law, who helped with the decor. Once everyone arrived at the venue, the couple spent half an hour or so mingling and introducing guests. They then gathered everyone together for a welcome speech at which point they announced that they were not, in fact, attending an engagement party… but their actual wedding!

“Our favourite part of planning was watching everything come together while we were setting up the day of the event. Once the candles were lit and the music was playing it was like a dream. And, of course, the best bit of the day itself was FINALLY announcing the wedding and seeing everyone’s faces!”

The ceremony began with a moment to honour the groom’s father who had recently passed and they read self-written vows which they’d written that morning. “We wanted to keep the ceremony short as we were so ready to finally be married and to start the party”, Haylee continued. “Naturally, we waited until the last minute and wrote our vows the morning of our wedding over coffee and delicious breakfast. I walked out to When I Get My Hands On You by The New Basement Tapes. Following the ceremony, we walked out to Love On Top by Beyoncé.”

“Keep your top priorities in mind as you make your decisions”, the couple advise in conclusion. “There is a point where you have to stop thinking about how other people would feel about your decisions and just focus on what you and your partner want. This is YOUR day. Also, don’t let advertisements or comparisons with other couples change how you want your event to feel. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, so you just have to stay focused on your vision and the feeling you want to cultivate for everyone who attends. We made a conscious effort to keep things simple. The people, the moment, and
the memories matter most, not the fluff.”