A B.C. couple’s wedding skit featuring the groom riding into their lakefront ceremony on a jet ski has gone viral online. Valerie Burtnik and Bailey Smith got married on a lake near Parry Sound, Ontario, on Sept. 12, and wanted to do something special to make the ceremony their own—something unlike typical wedding traditions. “We wanted to do the opposite, make it very Bailey and Val, and make it fun and make it the highlight of the day,” Burtnik said, in an interview with CTV News. Family and friends were gathered on the beachfront, looking out at the dock and waiting for the ceremony to start, when their officiant and friend Danae said, ”So I guess all we need is a groom. Has anyone seen Bailey?” The camera cuts to a jet ski zooming across the water, and everyone in attendance looks shocked and begins cheering as Smith makes his way to the dock. Before long, he arrives, and the ceremony begins. One month later, the video of their skit was posted on Instagram and has racked up more than 19 million views, 1.3 million likes and more than 4,000 comments—some from very confused viewers who didn’t realize it was a skit, thinking that Smith truly showed up late to his wedding on a jet ski. Planning the bit and pulling it off The idea came to Smith around two years ago, when the couple were planning their wedding at a family cottage on Lake Shabishikong. He says his fiancée was on board right away, contrary to commenter speculation. “Val was on board right away,” he said. “She was like, ‘Yep, that sounds awesome.” “We tried to keep it as hush-hush as possible. It was really me and Bailey that knew only for the longest time,” Burtnik added. The couple brought their parents in on it, a couple of Smith’s groomsmen helped coordinate, and their officiant, who gave the cue for the groom to zoom in. Trial runs were done in the morning to prevent potential mishaps, but most people in attendance were still in the dark when they saw the jet ski. “Everyone was shocked, except for the officiant, obviously, who was our friend Danae, and she helped put the whole walkie-talkie skit together,” said Burtnik. “It’s an ongoing joke in life that Bailey’s late for everything … we wanted to bring that into the ceremony. So when Danae is saying, ‘Okay, all we need is a groom,’ and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, classic Bailey,’ and then he shows up like that.” Smith said the rental jet ski was quite fast, but he had to hold back a bit to make sure his white pants wouldn’t be soaked and see-through by the time he kissed the bride. The couple were excited to execute their plan and, looking back, they said they couldn’t be happier with how they pulled it off. “People were just killing themselves laughing. It was so funny. I was like crying of laughter,” Burtnik said. “Everyone was just, yeah, in shock. It was hilarious to see the reactions.” ‘Make it your own’ The whole idea behind the Smith and Burtnik stunt was to make a special day their own, and that’s the advice they offer anyone else planning a wedding. “Make it your own. It doesn’t always have to be structured and traditional … make your ceremony however you want to make it,” Burtnik said. “We were actually stranded at that cottage during COVID, so it was a very special place to us … we really got to know the water and got to know the land,” she added. “Our love letter to that place was getting married there, and then, obviously, Bailey coming in on the water that we spent a lot of time on.” Smith had one crucial piece of advice for any other grooms who might be inspired to ride a jet ski into their wedding ceremony. “You gotta run it by the bride,” he laughed.
