Rustic Thompson Island Surprise Wedding {Dreamlove Photography}

I’ll admit, few weddings make me cry these days (unless I’m actually at them), but this one got me. Anna and Pat decided to avoid the stress of a traditional wedding and throw a “Surprise Wedding” and tell all of the guests they were coming for a family reunion! The look on their family’s faces is sheer joy, surprise, and excitement. Not to mention their rustic Thompson Island wedding (near Boston), is filled with gorgeous, heartfelt details. Pat is actually the host of a National Geographic Show called Beast Hunter, and so it was fitting for this outdoorsy couple to get married on an Island that serves as an Outward Bound educational center. These two made home-brewed hard cider as the guest favors, had a crafty-yarn theme for the ceremony, and Anna’s colorful bouquet is absolutely breathtaking. Thank you Dreamlove Photography for sharing these special images with us!

From the Photographer: Pat and Anna had been together for twelve years, and as their officiant stated, “Never needed to get married.” But a few years ago, Pat became very sick, and in the hospital they realized that as unmarried folk, they didn’t have the same rights that married couples did. They started thinking about tying the knot, but wanted to do things a bit differently… and decided to throw a SURPRISE wedding. They only told members of their wedding party the secret, and sent all other guests invitations for a big family reunion. Once the guests were on the boat over to Thompson Island, there were suspicions about the day, but no one knew for sure. Pat greeted the boat at the dock, and shared the news by whispering it to his nephew who then yelled out, “THEY’RE GETTING MARRIED!” There were hoots and hollers, and a lot of looks of pure shock, mixed with pure joy. You’ll see the parents’ reactions below, which really are priceless.