TV review: Don't Tell The Bride
Would you trust your other half to organise the most important day of your life? If you were going to marry the guy, you'd think you'd be able to, but as previous episodes of Don't Tell The Bride have shown, men don't always have the best ideas.
The popular programme has returned to BBC3 for its seventh season, promising plenty of love, laughter, tears and tantrums, as 12 more brave brides leave their grooms with £12,000 to plan their perfect day.
Over six previous series, we have watched brides swim down the aisle in a pool while wearing a snorkel, go on a rollercoaster ride at Thorpe Park and skydive from a plane, all before saying 'I do.'
So far, no woman has said 'I don't', but on this show anything could happen, and as I settled down for another instalment, I was secretly hoping it would be the night I witnessed a runaway bride.
"For my wedding I want an absolutely amazing venue," said bride-to-be Rian on last night's show.
"It bothers me what people think about me. I want people talking and gossiping about my wedding."
The wannabe wag from Abergavenny first met her groom, Matt, as a teenager but the couple fell out of touch when she moved to Birmingham.
Eight years later, she returned to South Wales and the pair were reunited at a beer festival. But while Rian had dreams of a lavish and exclusive affair that will be talked about in the town for years to come, Matt had other ideas.
The hopeless romantic knew what he wanted the minute he waved her off, which is unusual because most grooms start by cracking open bottles of beer and playing on the PlayStation.
"Our first date was to a car-boot sale and I want to re-create that and the moment we re-met met at the beer festival," he said.
Sadly, my faith in Matt didn't last long, because like many of the men before him, his thoughts soon turned to the stag-do . . . and what better place to celebrate than in Las Vegas?
Along with his two best pals, he decided it would be a good idea to spend £2,000 on a week-long trip to sin city. Run now Rian!
While the bride checked out a stately home, Matt fell in love with a barn and outdoor area and forked out another £2,000 – do the couples on this show not talk to each other before they apply to discuss what they want?
With Vegas four days away, he splashed out on flowers, a wedding dress that resembled a meringue, a burger van and table decorations from a car-boot sale. How romantic.
After four days of partying in Vegas, Matt decided to turn his thoughts to the wedding and sent Rian and her hens to play a round of miniature golf and bingo, a popular choice with grooms on the show, while he partied with women and alcohol.
To top it off, he sent his bride a wedding invitation inside a takeaway carton on top of a burger. I was lost for words but Rian wasn't and she still insisted Matt was romantic.
I'm not sure many women would agree. Thankfully, she loved her dress and the venue, despite the rain. Perhaps love is blind after all.
Charlotte Lilley
