Seen At 11: Ambush Wedding Adds Unique Twist To Traditional Celebration

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Summer weather is almost upon us, and with that comes barbecues and backyard parties.

But that get-together you've been invited to this summer might not be what you think it is. As CBS 2's Kristine Johnson reported, ambush weddings are a becoming a popular trend.

As one relationship expert posed, what could be more unique than a surprise wedding? Invited guests think they're attending just a party or casual family gathering, but they're actually about to attend a wedding.

New Yorkers Kristin Koslowski and Holt Wilkins said they wanted to avoid the pressures and the pomp of a traditional wedding.

"I spent one weekend looking at how you would go about planning a normal wedding, and not to say that I broke out in hives..." Koslowski said.

So under the guise of a Thanksgiving dinner, they arranged for their families to come to town and then surprised everyone by getting married in the rain at Lincoln Center.

"By that point they were walking up the steps and they knew," Wilkins said.

Wedding expert Darcy Miller said celebrities do it all the time to avoid the paparazzi. For other couples, it can be a more unique way to tie the knot with less pressure.

"They decide they don't want to go through the months of all the planning, and all the detail, and the color of the table-cloth, and they just want to get it done," Miller said.

Brad Boles was in the midst of planning a surprise wedding when he spoke to CBS 2.

"You guys make a grand entrance and all of a sudden surprise, the wedding will take place," said event planner Andrea Correale.

Correale was helping Boles arrange the wedding, which will not only be a surprise for the guests, but Boles' partner too.

"The idea of that sounded more romantic and more enchanting to me than anything," he said.

Dwight Erikson spent three months planning his secret wedding, keeping not only his guests in the dark, but his bride-to-be too.

"I said 'Oh by the way, you wanted a short engagement, we're getting married tonight,'" Erikson said.

He had planned every detail.

"I had no idea it was that day," said his bride Sandy.

He even made sure there was a selection of dresses ready for the bride on her big day.

"I would highly recommend it, if you want to give your wife a stress-free wedding, and you know she's up for something like that," Erikson said.

If you think a surprise wedding might not be fore you, consider this: experts estimate that weddings cost around $40,000 in this area and take around 14 months of planning.

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