ARMSTRONG – A north Okanagan bride is still trying to get over the shock of her own wedding day.
“I didn’t expect this at all,” said Joan Jong, after her surprise wedding at the Farmers’ Market in Armstrong. “I didn’t have a clue.”
Even minutes before the ceremony on Saturday, Jong had no idea it was about to take place that morning.
“Joan actually thought I would be officiating later on this evening,” says Marriage Commissioner Esther Pearson.
What made the wedding so special to those involved was the site: Jong’s grandmother helped start the long-running farmers’ market years ago, and her family has been involved with it ever since she can remember.
“When I thought I was planning a wedding for a Saturday, I thought, ‘oh I’m going to miss the Farmers’ Market’,” said Jong.
That’s why the groom decided to come up with a surprise.
Jong thought she was just dropping by the market to say hello before her wedding later in the evening.
Her friends, family and groom say spontaneity was the key to pulling it off.
“We told all of the vendors a week before and we just told my family and everyone else just a week before because we didn’t want the secret to get out,” said Jong’s niece, Asia.
She says keeping the surprise wedding a secret wasn’t easy, but it was definitely a success.
“I’m feeling so happy; this is the happiest day of my life,” says Jong.
The couple plans to spend a day at Sparkling Hills Resort on Sunday for their honeymoon.
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