Many people counted themselves lucky when they scored tickets to Elton John’s whistle-stop tour of Alberta this spring, with concerts in Red Deer, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie. Imagine then, the surprise and delight when the 100 or so guests at a wedding in Calgary Saturday learned the entertainment was none other than the iconic British singer.

John’s performance at the small, intimate affair in Springbank was confirmed to the Herald by multiple sources. The singer’s appearance was arranged as a surprise by the groom.

While a $3-million payday to John was bandied about in one media report, a source tells the Herald that that figure is inflated. Much more likely, they said, was that John was a paid a “stipend” and then a sizeable donation was made to the singer’s AIDS foundation, which has raised more than $200 million to support HIV/AIDS programs since its inception in 1992.

John is set to resume his residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas on Oct. 10. The album Elton John vs. Pnau, Good Morning to the Night, hit No. 1 on the U.K. charts when it was released last week.

The 65-year-old singer/songwriter, born Reginald Dwight, has sold more than 250 million records in his career, with hits such as Your Song, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Candle in the Wind and many more.

He entered into a civic partnership with Canadian David Furnish in 2005. The pair had a son, Zachary, via surrogate on Christmas Day, 2010. Lady Gaga is reported to be one of the child’s godparents.