I went to Nelly and Steve’s Married At First Sight UK wedding – here’s what really happened, from shock ‘divorce’ talk to the number of times the couple were forced to repeat their vows

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, perched within a parade of ornamental elephants, to witness what I’m warned will be one of the most dramatic weddings in Married At First Sight UK‘s history. 

But even I did not expect the bride, Nelly Patel, to reference a quick divorce at the altar, much to the shock of her new husband Steven Springett. 

Having devoured all nine series – which at 30-odd episodes per series, is more of a commitment than some former couples made – I know sparks can really fly during that first meeting at the end of the aisle, and not always in a good way. 

So I was delighted to attend one of the first weddings of the 10th series, which aired on Monday evening, and to experience the big day first-hand. 

I’m already enjoying the awkward chit chat of two sets of strangers in the pavilion at the 16th Century manor house North Mymms Park, a Bridgerton filming location that will (spoiler alert!) be used for the filming of three other ceremonies later this week, cleverly set designed to look like multiple venues. 

The size of the crew is enormous. While the pavilion is a wedding venue for hire, I doubt its adjacent room usually comes equipped with a full TV production control room and makeshift gallery, where producers and directors capture the setup of the big day from every angle – though I know some couples who might enjoy that. 

The scale of the production should not be surprising given Married At First Sight UK, known affectionately among us devotees as MAFS, consistently breaks Channel 4‘s streaming records. 

In October last year, the series was watched for the equivalent of 3234 years, with 1.7 billion minutes viewed – it was the most streamed title on any platform, outperforming everything on Netflix. 

The premise is simple, old-fashioned matchmaking, with resident experts Paul C. Brunson, Melanie Schilling and Charlene Douglas pairing up couples they think will complement one another (or, as cynics suggest on social media, might make great telly together). 

Though the wedding vows are not legally binding, the theory is that making a ceremonial commitment to one another encourages the couples to give their relationship more of a chance to thrive than they might outside of The Experiment. 

As a MAFS super-fan, I recognise that this means all the couples in the experiment must start their journeys at the same time, so they have a totally shared experience to – very unromantically – let rip about during the feisty dinner party scenes. 

Yet I’m still amazed to learn the crew will split up and head off around the world to exotic locations such as South Africa, the Maldives and the Caribbean at exactly the same time to film the upcoming honeymoon slots – I had imagined it would be cheaper and easier to stagger the jaunts to film them separately. 

It would be, the series’ executive producer Susy Price assures me. But, she explains, it is important to have this neutral starting point so the couples are all experiencing the developments of their relationships in real time together – even if that means she calls from producers at all ungodly hours, from their different time zones across the globe. 

Similarly, a military-style operation ensures there is no risk of any brides or grooms seeing each other on the morning of the ceremony, before the Big Reveal – which on a MAFS wedding day, would be more than just bad luck… 

With incredible precision, I witness producers coordinating the movements of Nelly’s bridal party and Steven’s groomsmen via walkie talkies so none of them get a single peak at one another – an urgent warning comes over the airwaves alerting the team that the bride’s parents are set to pass up a stairwell. 

Seconds after the groom is ushered out of sight, the team accompanying the bride’s family are given confirmation that the coast is clear. It is an extremely tight ship. 

The smallest insight would spoil the premise of the show, and by this point, after several months of intensive interviews with the incredibly thorough casting team, the bride and groom tell me they both have fully rescinded any efforts to gain any insight to fully embrace the experience. Well, almost… 

Earlier, with slight trepidation, I interviewed both halves of the couple who will tie the knot today, hoping not to let slip any details about one another. 

In a quiet, wood-panelled room, filled with camera equipment, sits handsome Steven, a remarkably cool-headed former footballer who tells me he is ‘calm, very calm’ – the 34-year-old investment manager seems calmer than me, as I fret about putting my foot in it. 

He is even unperturbed about the prospect of dirtying the white trousers he has chosen to wear on his big day. 

‘It’s possibly because I’m not actually planning it,’ he explained. ‘I think if I had to arrange the photographers, videographers, lighting… I’d probably be more nervous, but it’s in everyone else’s hands. 

‘All I’ve got to do is walk down, say the vows, meet a stranger, get married, and then hopefully have my happy ever after.’ 

Grinning with a noticeably perfect set of teeth, he is only half-joking about feeling so at ease. 

He goes on to tell me he is friends with two of the show’s former stars: Peggy Lawrence and JJ Slater. 

Sadly, neither of his pals are still with the partners selected for them by the trio of experts – JJ is currently dating reality star Katie Price. 

But Steven, a father-of-two, clearly understands what is in store, as do his family. 

He laughed: ‘My brothers and sisters are like: ‘This is just you down to a T.’ 

‘If I’m going to meet someone, it’s going to be through a show.’ I’m absolutely in this for love. Dating apps haven’t worked for me.’ 

Steven tells me his calmness, and his refreshingly positive outlook on life, stem from a lengthy period of recovery from a brutal attack that left him requiring extensive facial surgery, including to his teeth, which ended his football career in his early 20s. 

The horrific experience was ‘character building’, he says, with an air of serenity that I admire. I’m already rooting for him to find The One. Perhaps due to his ability to overcome such trauma, he is hoping for anything but a needy bride. 

‘Looks and all that doesn’t bother me,’ he says. ‘It’s all about personality and energy for me. She can have blue hair, green hair, brown, blonde, black, whatever, but if she’s needy it won’t work off the bat.’ 

A surprisingly short stroll around the top floor of the stately home sits the bridal suite, filled with makeup artists and bridesmaids which feels extremely buzzy – immediately I pick up on some of that ‘energy’ Steven is looking for. 

Sitting by the window (with the curtains drawn to avoid any peaking) is 30-year-old Nelly – who has opted for a traditional Indian-style wedding dress, in a beautifully deep, crimson red with matching veil – I can tell immediately has this bubbly energy in abundance. 

I’m told the red will add to the impact of her surprise arrival to the ceremony, which is the most dramatic in the show’s history – but she has such charming vivacity, I feel like she would make an impact arriving anywhere.

‘I’m Nelly, I’m 30, and I’m a cosmetic dentist,’ she chirrups, excitedly. I think of Steven’s beautiful teeth, and mentally give the pair a tick. She tells me of her dress: ‘This is what I would probably actually get married in. The South Asian community is not represented enough.’ 

Nelly, short for Neelima, explained that as her parents had a successful arranged marriage, she is fully embracing the experiment, shrugging: ‘This is an arranged marriage with expert help – and free therapy throughout.’ 

She is sick of dating ‘dusty men’ – so sick, she cannot even be bothered flirting, and laughs that she enlists AI chatbot ChatGPT to speak to men on apps. 

Nelly laughs that she also consulted the bot in a desperate bid to determine where she is off on honeymoon. Judging by the few travel arrangements that have been confirmed, she tells me definitively she is going to ‘the Caribbean,’ with the confidence of someone who has done an awful lot of sleuthing. 

She wants an ‘honest, kind and attentive’ man who is ‘just not a d***’: ‘I don’t want an arrogant bad boy,’ she sighed. 

‘Physically, not that bothered – as long as they’re a good person. But I just want someone who is dominant in their masculine energy – otherwise I will take control and I will take them for a ride.’ 

So she is anything but needy… another tick! I am fizzing with excitement for this pair to meet. 

Back in the pavilion, Nelly’s South Asian-theme has been incorporated into decorations, with ornate elephant sculptures adorning either side of the aisle. 

The guests take their seats and there is polite chatter exchanged between the two groups of strangers – some of the groom’s family have come from the North East, they babble nervously, while the bride’s party is from Manchester, and inevitably, they discuss which football teams they support. 

They’re all desperately, but subtly, trying to extract a bit of info about who their loved one is marrying. We are still anticipating Steven’s arrival, and there is a palpable nervousness hanging in the air underneath the ceremony’s draped ceilings and crystal chandeliers. 

Just as everyone runs out of small talk, and the room risks falling into a tense silence, mother-of-the-bride Ila shatters it quite marvellously by cheekily calling out to the groomsmen: ‘Is the groom as good looking as his brothers?’ Everyone giggles with a slight hysteria. It’s already everything I hoped for from a MAFS wedding. 

Steven strides confidently down the aisle, exchanging brief pleasantries with his son-to-be in-laws, who are busy scrutinising him. 

Ila, Nelly’s mum, whips out a pair of glasses for a closer inspection, and confirms yes, he is as good looking as his brothers. He grins with that perfect set of pearly whites – and jokes about his teeth to her. Her family must be buzzing! 

But suddenly, amid the hubbub, the assistant director offers apologies and requests total silence from the room. There is a faint hum of an aeroplane passing overhead, which has caused problems for the sound technicians, and filming must be halted until it passes with any interactions paused. 

Steven stands facing the altar, unflinching, while the rest of us sit in an excruciating silence together. The plane might only take two minutes to fly out of earshot, but we feel every painful second of it. I am amazed Steven doesn’t start shaking, but even this doesn’t break his nerves. If anything, this anticipatory silence serves to add to the dramatic impact of Nelly’s impending arrival. 

To the surprise of most of the congregation, she is carried down the aisle, hoisted on an Indian Doli by six men at shoulder-height in a traditional procession. She certainly makes a memorable first impression, and from my vantage point to the left of the altar, I get a full view of Steven, and watch a wide grin stretch across his face as he gawps in awe. 

As she climbs off, his open mouth gives her the perfect opportunity to assess his cosmetic dentistry, and by the look on her face, she approves of the work. Nelly turns her back to where I’m sitting to look straight into Steven’s eyes – although she notes, I think approvingly, they are quite a lot higher than hers as he is so tall – and I can hear them whispering to each other. 

I can’t see Nelly’s expression, but Steven hasn’t stopped smiling. The registrar welcomes us to the ceremony, and – not the first time at a wedding – I feel impatient to get the actual ceremony bit out of the way. The whole room is so desperate to know if Nelly and Steven are going to hit it off, and I feel we’re all urging it along. 

They exchange pre-written vows, and I’m struck by how often the grooms call their bride ‘beautiful’ without having seen them. It’s lucky Steven is clearly delighted at the sight of Nelly, and I sense relief from him that she absolutely is. 

Steven gets a rousing laugh from the guests when he suggests Nelly has done a better job writing her vows, and the pair are given ceremonial flower garlands to place on one another – he ducks, considerably – before they set off to start their relationship together. 

But then – at the risk of spoiling some of the magic of TV – they do the entire thing again. Nelly gets the biggest laugh of the afternoon by cracking a joke as she makes her way back up the aisle, solo, to let the cameras shoot from a different angle: ‘Are we getting divorced already?’ she giggles. 

Steven laughs with her, and producers fuss at guests to pick up any bags they have put down during the ceremony to ensure the continuity is maintained. 

Thankfully, the bride and groom agree that yes, they do take this stranger to be their spouse, for a second time today. 

Sadly, that’s all I get to witness of these nuptials. But I am already fully invested in Nelly and Steven and feel optimistic that they could be another of the series’ many success stories – three couples matched by the experts are still together, and the series has produced three babies, with another on the way. 

As I leave, I’m particularly jealous of photographer Simon Johns who will now take the couple off together to take their wedding shots – as every seasoned viewer knows, this is the bit where they first properly meet and start getting to know one another. 

Simon tells me he has worked on all 10 series, garnering a lot of insight into these very first moments shared between the new couples – as a result, he now has a great instinct for which couples will stand the test of time. 

The rest of us will just have to watch the rest of the series to see how they get on. 

• Stream Married At First Sight UK on Channel 4 now