While some couples invite hundreds to their wedding day, others opt to keep it quiet and simple celebrating their love with just each other. However, one couple has revealed how they accidentally got married by a postal worker when running errands.
The groom explained how he proposed to his long-term girlfriend just weeks before signing their marriage certificate - but never thought their big day would be so anticlimactic. Due to the nature of his work, they agreed to get married in a courthouse surrounded by their close friends and family - so in preparation for that, they went out to sign the necessary documents to make it official.
He said: "I got off work early today and after getting home my fiancée asked if we could go get some paperwork notarised for our courthouse wedding we planned to have in a month or two. "We hopped in the car with a form we printed off the county website and drove to the closest UPS, the notary checked our IDs and had us sign and then she signed, notarised the form, and said congratulations."
Thinking they were all set up for their wedding, the bride called up the courthouse later that day to double check what documents they'd need to bring with them on the big day. However, she was shocked to learn she wouldn't need to bring a thing - not even themselves - as they were already legally married. He added on Reddit: "After calling me her boyfriend, the lady on the phone corrected her by saying 'husband.'
"She then told my fiancée our state no longer requires a ceremony with the judge at the courthouse. That form is literally the marriage certificate and she is now married. Whoops! "The UPS worker officially married me and my wife without us knowing. We had a honeymoon picnic at a park near a lake."
Jermain Defoe sparks marriage split fear after spending Christmas away from wifeWhile most users couldn't help but laugh at their mix up, others wished them all the best in married life - even if it arrived sooner than they'd originally planned. One user said: "Congrats! Ask UPS for the surveillance footage so you can share your big day with your family!"
Another user added: "As a former notary/UPS store employee - this would have made my week, assuming you guys are nice that is. A third user said: "My wife and I actually got married during the rehearsal, though no one knew. It was just more fun that way." One more user added: "It's as good a place as any. I kind of saw it as I was married effectively the day we agreed to it, the rest was formality and a party."