Every one of us has been surprised before. We've been surprised by a loved one we haven't seen in a while, maybe been given a surprise party, or simply had someone jump out and surprise us in an effort to make us pee our pants.

But, have you ever heard of a surprise wedding?

I sure hadn't...until this earlier this week when I stumbled across a rather unique wedding ceremony on social media.

Acadiana-based DJ, Matt Allen, posted on Facebook about a surprise wedding he played for this past weekend for Kelly and Kevin.

I had to stop and think about that for a minute. A "surprise wedding?" So, who didn't know about the impending nuptials?

Well, it turns out, everyone but the couple getting hitched didn't know that they were at a wedding! Lafayette natives Kelly Rhodes and Kevin Thomas were the ones that hatched up this master plan.

Before we get too far in the story, let me tell you a little about Kelly and Kevin. They actually went to high school together and graduated from Lafayette High in 1995, but never dated. They had a lot of the same friends though. Fast forward to 2020 and fate would have it that the two would connect at a Mardi Gras ball here in Lafayette.

They hung, hit it off, and began dating. But two weeks after they met, the pandemic hit, and as we all know, the world would shut down.

Their bond got stronger though and they began a serious courtship. Things improved so wonderfully that Kevin proposed to Kelly in November 2021.

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A wedding would need to be planned at some point. But, again, with Covid and all those restrictions coupled with everything that goes into planning a wedding, Kelly felt a little overwhelmed.

At a lunch late last year with her close friend Ashley, Kelly randomly mentioned that she just wished she could have a surprise wedding. After those words were uttered, both Kelly and Ashley knew immediately that this was the ticket so they went with it.

"We decided to tell everyone that we were going to elope later in the summer but we would have an engagement party so everyone had a chance to celebrate us before we ran away," Kelly told us.

That party was held this past weekend at Bourque's Bar in Scott. The guest list included about 110 guests, all close friends, co-workers, and family members.

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And according to all accounts, the guests were definitely surprised.

"The majority of the guests had no idea so they were very surprised," Kelly explained. "It wasn't until my friend gave the actual speech and explained that they were actually at our wedding that they fully understood."

And here is the actual speech that Kelly's friend gave:

Provided by Kelly Rhodes Thomas
Provided by Kelly Rhodes Thomas
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Kelly and Kevin's relationship is full of constant laughter so they decided to have a little fun during the ceremony. The couple wrote their own personal and funny vows.

Kevin's go-to phrase is apparently "Word," so instead of "I Do" he gave a "Word" as his response to each question. They even walked off the ceremony to the Cameo song "Word Up."

With the couple's permission, here are those unique vows:

Submitted by Kelly Rhodes Thomas
Submitted by Kelly Rhodes Thomas
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The happy couple is now enjoying the newlywed life and have actually just broken ground on a new house.

What a fun and unique way to celebrate each other's love. This should prove to any couple out there that is having angst over the planning of their wedding that the only thing that really matters is the love that each share for one another.

All the rest, it's just lagniappe.

Our best wishes for a lifetime of happiness to Kelly and Kevin. Thanks for sharing your fun story with the world.

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