My partner and I are planning a surprise wedding. Partly to avoid family drama and stress, and to keep costs low, but also because I've been married before (too young — whoops!). But mostly because it's very "us" and feels right.
Does anyone have experience with planning/executing a surprise wedding? I'm hoping some of you in the community might have some ideas about how to pull this together 
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The process would go as follows:
Pre-wedding Photos/Video
Days or months prior to the wedding we would get dolled up as we would our wedding day, to take photos and video: ie. getting ready, a "first look," some intimate editorial style shots, exploring the environment in which we choose to shoot, maybe saying written vows to each other. The video will later be used at the surprise ceremony. Everything about this wedding is stunning, including the photography.
The InvitationInvite our guests to an "engagement party" via Paperless Post. Obviously the closest friends and family will want to be there, but we don't know how to encourage others that it's important they are there, without giving away the surprise.
Day Of
We're not sure yet if we're going to host it at our house (least conspicuous), or at a restaurant. In any case, the afternoon/evening would start as an engagement party would: mingling, drinks, food, music, etc. We're hoping to have a projector displaying pictures of us as kids growing up and of our time together.
At some point, my partner and I would quietly slip away to change into our "wedding" clothes (ie. the same we wore in the photos weeks/months prior).
While we're M.I.A., a friend in-the-know will draw our guests attention to the projector, where the video of our photoshoot will play. This will be the first indication that they are all at a wedding. It will be short and simple with music, or maybe narrative.
I have a friend who plays acoustic guitar and sings, and would be a really lovely transition from the video to us re-emerging in front of the guests in our wedding attire, poised for a ceremony with everyone present.
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We are definitely nervous about people's reactions, as I've read some stories about mothers being upset for being left out of the planning. But, we really wanted to keep the planning stress down to a minimum, and to really focus on what the day means to us. We would like to have someone present taking candid photos of the night so that no one feels left out when looking back on the evening.
What are your thoughts of this process? Any suggestions to make it better? Things to avoid? I would love you hear from you! 
