Weddings are a long process of planning, organising and gathering family members together for the big day. On top of that the couple end up paying out thousands of pounds for clothes, venues, food, drink and everything else that goes along with getting married.
The day itself is about family, friends and sharing your love for your partner, so one couple decoded to skip the expense and get married at their engagement party.
Victoria and her partner George Curtis didn't want a big wedding day and had been planning to elope but wanted their family involved still. They came up with a plan to tie the knot at their engagement party instead, with all their nearest and dearest present.
The 28-year-olds gathered their 45 guests at the hotel before announcing they were actually there to witness their marriage. They had a quick 15 minute change into their wedding attire and said their vows there and then.
Victoria from New York, US, said: "George and I sat down and discussed what we wanted from our day and had thought we’d want to elope. A big wedding day would be overwhelming for us."
The pair began dating in January 2020 and while on a ski holiday in February 2022, George got down on one knee and popped the question to Victoria.
She added: "My family wanted to still celebrate with us so my mum started planning an engagement party for us. And we came up with the idea that we’d get married at the party."
With the help of Victoria's mum, Joan, they planned their engagement party and thought "it sounded amazing", Victoria said: "We just thought what if we surprise everyone and actually get married.”
Unbeknownst to Joan she was actually helping prepare for the young couple's wedding, which was kept a total secret from all their family and friends.
"Only two of my friends and one of George’s knew we were going to do it," Victoria said. "Everyone was shocked and my parents were crying."
The couple gave their parents the first look at their outfits before revealing them to the rest of the party. Victoria said the day was "exactly what we wanted" and didn’t "feel rushed."
Victoria, a district coordinator for science, added: "We were talking about what we wanted and the purpose of the day for us. We wanted it to be just about the two of us.
"We were planning to elope but realised we wanted our parents there. We decided to elope and to have celebration for our engagement."
"I thought if I can find a dress in time we can have the wedding at the engagement party," Victoria said. The pair surprised their shocked guests in September 2022, and had a "stress free" wedding day.
Victoria said: "Everything just fell into place. It was exactly what we wanted. It was so fun and everyone was so excited to see us get married.
"It was a stress free day and about us."
