When Tori and Joe Taylor invited their loved ones to their 6-month-old son’s christening ceremony in July, they had a special surprise planned.
The couple’s family and friends gathered in the church in Warwickshire, England for the baptism. Then, seeing Tori Taylor walk down the aisle in a wedding dress, they realized something else was in store.
The Taylors used their son’s christening in July to surprise those close to them with a wedding. The pair only shared their plans with their parents, their maid of honor and their best man.
“We’ve always wanted to be married simply to be united as a family, without the stress or fuss that can come with a traditional wedding,” Tori Taylor, 25, told TODAY.com. “The people who would be there to celebrate our son were the very people we’d want to witness our marriage — so it just felt right.”
Once the couple got the idea to host a surprise wedding, the event came together in only three months, the pair shares. Leading up to the big reveal, Joe Taylor, 27, had to come up with excuses for why Tori Taylor was running late to the ceremony.
“As I pulled up to the church, knowing what was about to happen, I had butterflies,” Tori Taylor says. “It was nerve-wracking, but the excitement outweighed everything.”
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A post shared by Karl Mitchell | Cheshire Wedding Filmmaker (@mitchellfilmsuk)
A video shared by their videographer Karl Mitchell shows the moment guests’ surprise turned into delight. The clip went viral, receiving over 400,000 likes.
As Tori Taylor walked down the aisle, she was met with cheers and clapping from a shocked audience. When she arrived at the front of the church, the officiant announced the christening would be taking place, but so would the couple’s surprise wedding.
Tori Taylor adds that the reactions from the couple’s grandparents were some of the most meaningful.
“The audible gasp from our family and friends gave us goosebumps,” she says. “The atmosphere in the church at that moment is something we’ll carry with us forever.”
Following the ceremony, the couple and the guests celebrated with a reception. They had already invited everyone to a party after the christening, but turns out, there was more to celebrate than the invitees initially anticipated.
“It was truly the most magical day — full of love, laughter, and happy tears,” Joe Taylor says. “We couldn’t have imagined a more perfect way to celebrate both our son and our love.”
Speaking to TODAY.com, videographer Karl Mitchell says the event game him goosebumps too.
“Hearing those genuine gasps and seeing the real emotions on all of the guest’s faces was amazing,” he says.
Mitchell knew about the event’s surprise in advance. He says his relaxed style helped maintain the shock factor. He only used a small camera and tried to stay out of the way so the moment would remain natural.
He told curious guests before the ceremony that he was there to film promotional material for the church. Thanks to this quick thinking, he says, no one seemed to catch on to the surprise until Tori Taylor walked into the room.
“Moments like that remind me why I love doing this work,” he adds. “Being able to capture real, meaningful memories of people with their loved ones to look back on during one of the biggest days of their lives.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
