Simon & Matt's
surprise wedding
This real wedding is an absolute JOY to read about! Simon and Matt had a surprise wedding, disguising their celebrations as a 50th birthday party. Their day was complete with drag queens, tropical styling and a whole lot of glitter. You don’t want to skip this one!
Photos by Nick Brightman Photography
a 50th birthday
surprise
Here’s what Simon and Matt told us about their surprise wedding day:
“We gathered all of our friends and family in Birmingham to celebrate Matts 50th Birthday, but unbeknownst to everyone we were actually getting married! We had a registry office official marriage in the afternoon at Birmingham registry office attended by our lovely neighbours. Then in the evening we had a party, asking all our guests to dress in glam and glitter. We had reception drinks in one venue while we waited for everyone to arrive then we moved across to The Old Library, which was set up with an aisle and rows of seats and a poster announcing that this was our wedding.”
drag queen
celebrant
A very sparkly guest made Simon and Matt’s surprise wedding ceremony extra special…
“Our non-legal ceremony was led by Maria Hurtz of Proud Fox Ceremonies, the UK’s best drag queen celebrant. It was a hilarious, moving experience.
We were getting changed in a side room when people entered the venue to find out it was the wedding, but the noise and excitement we could hear coming out of the room was amazing. When we walked out everyone was so happy and smiling, it felt really special.
Maria was absolutely amazing, she made the day incredibly memorable and it was just what we wanted. She involved everyone (there was group singing), was incredibly funny but also touching and personal to us.”
unique wedding
ENtertainment
As if their guests hadn’t had enough excitement for one day, the party continued with more fabulous surprises!
“We had a face painter, Kayley from the Little Pumpkins Face Painting, who was there to entertain the kids. Hilariously, she ended up with a queue of adults all wanting their faces painted!
To top it all off, Pork Elizabeth Pie gave us drag bingo and a couple of live songs with her amazing voice and kept our guests entertained all night.”
Food & Cake!
“The food was by The English Indian, served in an amazing van outside the venue. It was fish and chips with an Indian twist and was absolutely delicious, everyone raved about the food.
Finally, Matt’s best friend Olivia has her own incredible cake company, Olivia’s Cake Boutique. She made a breathtaking cake decorated with tropical plants and flowers, not knowing it was our wedding cake! It was enormous, with 4 layers, each a different flavour. The entire cake was demolished in about an hour, some people had a slice of every flavour!”
You might also love: The Best Alternative Wedding Entertainment
tropical wedding
styling
When it came to the styling of their surprise wedding, this couple knew exactly what vibe they were going for…
“For the venue styling, we went for a botanical theme. We both love the Tropics and are thinking of moving to Thailand in a few years, so we had lots of plants, foliage, Birds of Paradise and palms. We kept the decor of the venue simple, it was quite a DIY wedding, so we had house plants on each table that the guests then took away at the end of the day. We have to shout out Sophie at the Warwick Wedding Company who pretty much single handedly set up the venue, dealt with the array of plants, flowers and some mouldy pineapples we had brought for her. She managed to make the place look incredible on a tight budget.”
White Wedding Wear
“As for us, We both wore white suits with gold highlights, gold glitter Converse and a Bird of Paradise buttonhole. Celebrant Maria wore glitter, glitter, glitter and a huge pink wig and of course upstaged everyone, rightfully so.”
surprise
wedding day
When asked what advice they’d give couples planning their wedding, here’s what Simon and Matt told us:
“I think you should really sit down and think about what you want without feeling like you have to follow conventions. It’s about you and your relationship with each other, but it is also a day for everyone who is celebrating with you, so think about what their experience will be like from start to finish.”
We hope you have loved reading about this surprise wedding as much as we loved writing about it! Be sure to give us a follow on Instagram and sign up to our mailing list to stay in the loop with the best alternative wedding ideas and wedding planning tips!
Huge thanks to Nick Brightman Photography for these super fun wedding photos, and of course to the wonderful couple for sharing their special day with us.
Discover More Real wedding ideas
Find a Wedding Supplier
More from Unconventional Wedding
Sign up for News from UW HQ
Jessica Jill Photography
Join us in our Facebook Chat Room
Sarita White Photography
Find a Wedding Fair near You
Kirsty Rockett Photography
Find a wedding supplier
