ICYMI: Former Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. and his fiancee Lauren Burnham, wed in the Hawaiian Twilight–themed wedding of their dreams on January 12. But their, um, unexpected wedding inspiration wasn’t the most surprising part of their day.
Like many betrothed couples, Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham planned to see each other one last time in a private first look session before tying the knot. And they did…kinda.
In an interview with The Knot, the Bachelor Nation couple reminisced about the practical joke Burnham played on her now husband before the ceremony to relax him a little.
Luyendyk Jr. recalled feeling like “the anticipation was intense,” before getting the first glimpse of his wife-to-be. “I was so ready to see Lauren…And I stood for what felt like ten minutes just waiting for her to tap me on the shoulder,” he said.
But when he finally felt a tap on the shoulder, it wasn’t Burnham’s petite finger but a man…wearing a wedding dress. To be specific, it was his best man, Dustin Martin, who Burnham had sent out to lighten the mood.
“When the moment finally came, I was terrified to see my best man standing in a wedding gown drinking a Kona Beer,” Luyendyk Jr. laughed. “I should have known just by how hard he had tapped me, but it was still a complete surprise. Lauren definitely pulled one over on me and it was hilarious. It honestly lightened the mood and helped me shake my nerves a bit.”
Ultimately, the couple, who are expecting their first child together, did get their Bachelor-perfect first look pictures and walked down the aisle with Bachelor Nation ringleader Chris Harrison as their officiant.
“He’s a true professional,” Luyendyk Jr. recalled of Harrison. “It was great to hang out with him leading up to the wedding and it really allowed us to get to know each other outside of the Bachelor world. His speech was clever, funny and touching all at the same time. He really nailed it.”
Harrison’s professionalism aside, props for the cheeky wedding day joke, Lauren.