Surprise, It's A Wedding! TJ & Greer's Top-Secret 'I Dos'

Guests thought it was a party, but the All Black and his bride vowed to make it special

- Kelly Bertrand

As far as surprises go, it’s a doozy. In every direction, 100 mouths are agape with shock. For a split second, a stunned silence hangs over the crowd, before a wild cheer erupts – and six very surprised blokes sprint quickly up the stairs of Porirua’s gorgeous Gear Homestead in a mad dash.

Their rush is understandable. After all, they’ve just been told they’re about to be groomsmen in a wedding that’s happening in less than an hour.

It’s a glorious Saturday in Porirua, a perfect day for an engagement party – or so the gathered friends and family of All Black great TJ Perenara and his gorgeous fiancée Greer Samuel have been led to believe.

For the switched-on guest, there are a few giveaways that all might not be what it seems – a stunning two-tiered cake sits waiting for its moment in a corner, a huge marquee has been erected in the homestead’s grounds and, perhaps most obviously, a sign proclaiming “TJ & Greer’s I Do BBQ” welcomes whanau as they walk in.

“No-one knows yet!” an excited TJ, 27, whispers to Woman’s Day as we arrive. Dressed casually in a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts while he bounces from group to group to say hi, the Hurricanes halfback is positively fizzing as he finds his soon-to-be wife, who herself is buzzing with nervous energy.

“Oh, my God. OK. Let’s tell them,” she says, shepherding everyone to the lawn.

“Thanks for coming,” she begins, before running through housekeeping matters.

Just as the crowd think she is done, Greer, a professional singer, throws out her hands and bellows, “Oh, just one more thing. We’re getting married today!”

Love story