Manchester couple stuns family and friends with surprise 12.03am WhatsApp wedding invite

Ruth Ridyard, 35, and her new husband Martin, 38, shocked their family and friends by announcing their wedding shortly after midnight.

The couple said they wanted a "chill" day which didn't stress out their guests.

They secretly planned it for three weeks, even contacting family member's bosses on the sly to book days off work without them finding out.

The couple, who met through Bumble, went to bed and then messaged 24 of their closest people just after midnight, to tell them about the wedding later that day.

They didn't answer frantic phone calls - instead just giving the address and time for the do.

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Ruth, a construction estimator, from Manchester, said: "We’ve both been married before, and we wanted it to be casual and chill.

"We were chatting in the kitchen and thought of the idea, and we didn’t ask each other; we just went along with it.

"We knew we wanted to do it and would make a day of it. However, we have more important things to pay for.”

He added: "The good thing was that the people we invited didn't speak to anyone, so that was kept secret, and we could keep the surprise.

"I texted everyone at midnight.

"People took it well, and it was a good response. I got a load of funny reactions from people saying they would do their fake tan at 1am, but they were all fine with it."

The wedding was held on February 22 2024, the same date as their first date in 2022.

Ruth made sure some guests were free by pretending she was taking them off for a spa day, or drinks.

She told her four children they were going to a trampoline park and jokingly admitted they were a bit disappointed to hearing they were actually going to a wedding

Ruth and Martin bought them scratch cards to reveal the secret.

The morning of the wedding, Ruth enjoyed a few glasses of champagne and found it "relaxing" as she got ready.

She said their phones were "going mental" but they refused to answer.

They got married at a registry office, before having their reception at a pizza restaurant with "shed loads" of booze, and then karaoke at a pub, where Ruth sang ‘Islands in the Stream’ by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.

Ruth said: "We wanted the day to be like any other night but equally something we'd all remember. We had the best day and so did our guests. I might be biased, but it's the best wedding I've ever been to."