Imagine this: you wake up to a text message informing you that one of your closest friends is getting married (happy!). The hitch is that the ceremony is on the same day.

There’s a worry over what to wear, spray tans, and getting to the venue on time, and to add to the turmoil, the bride and groom aren’t answering their phones.

Ruth Ridyard, 35, and her now-husband Martin, 38, of Manchester, experienced this with their friends and family.

They wanted a ‘casual and mellow’ wedding and believed the best way to do this was to give their 24 guests no warning.

They maintained a high level of secrecy throughout the entire event, even going to the extent of reaching out to individual bosses to secure time off for them to attend the ceremony on February 22 of last year.

She informed others that she planned a spa day or drinks, so they would be free. The wedding took place exactly two years after their first Bumble date.

Ruth, a construction worker, explained, “We’d both been married before, and we wanted it to be casual and relaxed.

“We were speaking in the kitchen when we came up with the concept. We didn’t ask each other; we simply went with it.

“We knew we wanted to do it and would plan a day around it. However, there are more vital things to pay for.

“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 everybody at midnight.

“People took it well and responded positively. I got strange looks from people who said they would fake tan at 1 a.m., but they were happy.

Ruth’s four children, on the other hand, were disappointed since she told them they would be going to a trampoline park, only to wind up at the rather mundane event of their mother’s wedding.

On the morning of her big day, Ruth drank a couple of glasses of champagne while ignoring her phone, which was going ‘mental, stating she found it all very ‘relaxing.

The couple spent £400 on a registrar, £500 on their clothing, £300 on a hotel, and £200 on Ubers, making the entire event reasonably priced.

She reportedly spent £1,200 on a reception at a pizza restaurant, which included buckets of alcohol, followed by singing at a bar.

Ruth explained, “We wanted the day to be like any other night, but also something we’d all remember.” We had a wonderful day, and so did our visitors. I might be biased, but this is the nicest wedding I’ve ever attended.”