Groom surprises unsuspecting bride with wedding day

A brave Melbourne man proposed to his girlfriend and married her just two days later after secretly organising their wedding day.

Pia Archer, of Aspendale Gardens, got the shock of her life when her then fiance, Michael Archer, revealed on the day of her 45th birthday party that she would in fact be getting hitched.

After being whisked away for a quick preparation by the bridal party, and deciding not to wear the gown her mother picked, Pia walked radiantly down the aisle in front of family and friends.

Thankfully for her nervous groom, Pia was over the moon.

"I didn't have time to think...all the control was taken away from me - it was a great thing," she told Seven News.

"I got dressed, I was given a bouquet and walked down the aisle.

"It was a wonderful surprise."

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The couple had previously discussed tying the knot at a registry office or even eloping to Las Vegas to escape the high pressures of a traditional wedding.

"We didn't want to make a big deal of it," Michael said. "We thought we'd just come back and tell everybody."

But in stark contrast to the couple's low-key plan, Michael spent three months planning the shock ceremony, organising everything from the cake to the wedding song.

He may have kept his plans secret from his soon-to-be wife, but the couple's family and friends were in on the surprise.

"The hardest part was keeping it from Pia because everybody else knew," Michael said.

"It wasn't easy keeping that secret for three months, it was quite stressful."

But Michael said the pre-wedding stress was all worth it on the day.

He described the service as 'perfect', and his new wife agreed.

"I loved it," she said. "It was a really joyful night."