Caroline & Jared

Jared and Caroline knew they didn’t want a traditional wedding and wanted the home they purchased and remodeled together to be a part of their special day. They started playing around with the idea of having a surprise wedding but they were not sure how to pull it off or where to even start. After being engaged for a year, they reached out to Pocketful of Plans and asked about doing a surprise wedding and on a short timeline, they already had spent a year engaged and they didn’t want to spend another 10+ months planning.

The mantra for this entire planning process was “ If it’s meant to be, it will be and we will find a way.” We all really embraced that and found a way to make a surprise private estate wedding happen. We had to get creative and resourceful given the limited space in San Francisco and tight 90 day timeline.

The garage transformation took several months starting with filling concrete, checking electrical, moving things and cleaning. Installing the coverings took 2 days alone. Even though it was an intimate 50 person wedding, it was a very involved process. The couple also did a pretty extensive remodel to the back yard in the 3 months of planning to make enough space to have the intimate ceremony. We knew the space would be tight but it also ultimately felt magical, cozy and incredibly personal.

We invited their guests under the guise of a engagement/house warming party. How we pulled it off: about half way through the cocktail party I pulled the couple away. We went inside and Caroline immediately started getting into her gown with the help of her mom. After she was mostly ready, Jared went outside and made an informal toast and spilled the secret. Seeing the surprised looks on their friends and families faces was the most memorable part of the day. Some people suspected that there was something more to the garden party but most everyone was incredibly surprised and honored to be a part of their day knowing that they were truly the most important people to the couple.

While the wedding was different and a surprise we all agreed after the fact that there was nothing lacking from this day that can be found in a traditional wedding.