A woman surprised her husband with 26 of his friends and family at the airport for his 40th birthday after keeping the plans a secret for 10 months.
Carlo Carrington, 40, thought he was going on a couple's holiday with his wife Kayleigh, 36, when she surprised him with a big group of loved ones at Gatwick Airport, Crawley, West Sussex.
Carlo was shocked when he found them all waiting for him at the check in desk, and still didn’t realise they were all coming with them to the Dominican Republic until he saw their t-shirts with the destination on.
Kayleigh had spent 10 months planning the trip and had even had to email his manager to make sure Carlo had the time booked off work without him finding out.
The dad-of-three got emotional at the sight of all his family and friends in a sweet video capturing the moment he was surprised.
Kayleigh, a practice manager, from Waltham Cross, Herefordshire, said: “He didn’t have a clue.
“I told him two weeks before his birthday that I was taking him away, but I didn’t tell him where and he thought it was going to be just us.
“He was so shocked when we turned up and saw 26 of his friends and family.
“I’d had it all planned and had my live location set on the WhatsApp group, so they knew when we were close.
“It was an amazing trip.
“It was so hard to keep the secret, I felt like I could burst.”
Carlo, a revenue controller, said he was "blown away" by the surprise.
"I don't know how she managed to pull it off without me knowing," he said.
"When I saw everyone at the airport, I just thought they had come to wish me happy birthday.
"I thought it was a bit over the top. Then I saw their t-shirts which said: 'Carlo is 40, Dom Rep 2022'
"It was such a surreal moment. It was a beautiful trip and I couldn't have picked a better 27 people to be with on holiday.
"It was so much fun. I realised how annoying I must have been asking all the questions when everyone was trying to keep it a secret."
Kayleigh decided to plan a big trip for her husband’s 40th and began researching where to go and organising who could come in January 2022.
She managed to get 26 of his friends and family to come but then had to keep the plan a secret until 28 November 2022.
“I had to email his manager to get the time off,” she said.
“Everyone was so scared they’d slip up they didn’t want to talk to him.”
Kayleigh decided to tell Carlo that she had planned a holiday for them, two weeks before they were due to fly.
“I gave him an early birthday card that said we were going away,” she said.
“I didn’t say where we were going, and he didn’t know it wouldn’t just be us. I knew he’d want to pack himself, so I said we were going somewhere hot.
“That’s all the information I gave. He kept guessing where we were going but didn’t get it right.”
On the day of the flight, the pair dropped their children at Carlo's mum's house and headed to the airport.
“Carlo thought they were staying with my mother-in-law but they were actually all coming with us,” she said.
“They all got to the airport earlier and then I kept them updated with where we were and my live location.
“When he saw them at first, he thought they were just there to say happy birthday.
“Then he realised they were coming with us. I don’t think it sunk in until we got there.
“It was a great trip. On his actual birthday I organised a private dinner for the group on the beach.
“I’ve told Carlo that I’m in credit now. The pressure is on.”
Carlo added: "I don't know what I am going to do for Kayleigh's 40th now.
"She's set the bar high."
