A bride who bonded with her groom over their love of escape rooms surprised him with a puzzle on the altar to release their rings.
Ben Lepley and his wife, Michal, met at an arcade-themed bar in Silver Lake, California, in 2019, and over the years that followed, they bonded over a love of board games.
This love of portable puzzles extended into escape rooms, too, with Ben and Michal seeing them as a perfect way to unwind and tackle a challenge together.
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And so, ahead of their wedding at Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, in Los Angeles – the same spot they had adopted a cat three years earlier – Michal knew she wanted to include a puzzle-themed surprise for an unsuspecting Ben.
Michal called on the help of Ben’s friends, seeing the surprise as a way to include more people in their big day, on October 5, 2024.
On the day of the wedding itself, Michal then took the mic on the altar and told the backstory of her and Ben’s love of escape rooms.
Ben was handed a closed lock that held their rings, and when the shocked groom realized what was happening, he then saw a series of guests stand one by one, holding clues to reveal the combination.
The guests were themed on characters from Ben’s favorite board game, Unmatched, which he and Michal played often during COVID lockdowns, shortly after they had first met.
Over the minutes that followed, Ben worked on the puzzle with the help of guests, while the couple’s wedding videographer, Devan Shae, captured the wholesome surprise on video.
Devan later shared the clip on social media, where viewers praised Michal’s unique and loving gesture.
She said: “Ben and I are not the most conventional people, so I wanted the wedding to include something personal and fun.
“I decided that a fun way to include more people in the wedding was to include them in a prank.
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“Since Ben and I have done dozens of escape rooms, I knew that he is very good at them and decided to create a simple puzzle that would include a nod to his favorite board game, Unmatched.
“I used card titles from the game and had characters stand up holding numbers.”
Ben added: “Seeing the escape room elements and all the clues from the game Unmatched that we play so much together, and all of our friends taking part in this production – it could not have been sweeter.
“What a perfect moment on such a perfect day.
“I’ll always treasure this memory and Michal for making it happen.”
