Melanie and Ryan held an absolutely killer party at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa, Florida this past New Years Eve, but with one jaw dropping twist- it was actually their own wedding reception! None of the guests except for their closest friends and family had any idea until halfway through the evening the couple disappeared, the lights dropped, and a video began to play on the projection screen. Watch their highlight film below to see their guest's reactions! 👇👇👇
In October, the couple had eloped in the Bahamas with only a handful of guests present. They still wanted to make sure they had the opportunity to celebrate with everyone, and so they set off on planning this event, disguised simply as a New Years gathering. While they awaited everyone's arrival they practiced their first dance and were sure to visit the champagne wall in preparation!
After greeting everyone at the entrance, the party got started. Several food stations were placed around the event space and a live broadcast from Times Square played on the projector screen in the corner. The mood was high and very few had any idea of what was about to happen!
Once people started asking where Melanie and Ryan had went because they wanted to grab a photo with them, it became hard to disguise that something was afoot. Shortly thereafter the houselights began to dim and the couples wedding video took place of the New Years countdown on the big screen! Some of the reactions from the guests were incredible!
When the video finished, the couple appeared once more, this time with Melanie having changed into her wedding dress, and they went right into their first dance- fog on the floor and sparklers in the air all included!
At this point it was pretty necessary to address the elephant in the room, and the couple explained that indeed, they had been married a few months earlier, and a big part of this evening was the celebration of their wedding! This started off a whole new stage of the party and things really turned festive!
The food and drinks continued to arrive, this time including both a sushi and a pasta station! It was also hard to miss the incredible selection of desserts suddenly appearing everywhere as well!
The dance floor really got going after a bit, and Melanie and Ryan had some extra surprises in store, including a ton of inflatable guitars and microphones for everyone to go wild with. But a huge hit was the CO2 gun the couple shot off over the crowd!
As the clock struck midnight, the guests gathered around the newlyweds and a cannon showered them (and the dancefloor!) in confetti! The obligatory New Years kiss was had and the party continued on!
Out-of-this-world vendor team:
Destination Wedding Film: Kristen Whitehead Productions
