Circus Marrying Mum and Dad

On this show, you organise your parents' wedding.

Yes, really. You get to do it all.

And that means doing whatever you fancy.

-Argh!

-It means doing it however you want.

-Argh!

-The only rule is, keep Mum and Dad out.

-I haven't got the foggiest.

-You go crazy thinking about it.

Are they always this good at keeping secrets?

And make sure they don't know what's in store until their big day.

This feels amazing.

And there's only a few weeks to sort everything out.

Your dad is very brave.

You're in charge. You decide what happens.

LAUGHTER

Eurgh!

It's the ultimate challenge. Are you ready for it?

What do you think?

Will the day be filled with chaos...

..or confetti?

And most importantly, will Mum and Dad like it?

That's hilarious!

Oh, I love it!

-We're about to find out because we're...

-BOTH: Marrying Mum And Dad.

This is Marrying Mum And Dad,

where the kids plan their parents' wedding.

They're responsible for making one of the most important days

of their Mum and Dad's life a success. And we're here to help.

'On today's show, we've got a pair of wedding planners...' Oh, dear!

'..who want Mum and Dad to think they've sucked all the fun

-'out of the wedding.'

-Keep out, Mum and Dad.

What clowns!

Oh, wow!

CHEERING

Mum and Dad know they're getting married,

but they won't know any more until the big day.

So we'd better get started.

The venue for today's wedding action on Marrying Mum And Dad is Derby.

Meet the Wellam family.

That's my sister Emma. She is 11.

That's my brother Ben. He's 10.

BOTH: Most of all, we like having fun.

-Do you want the chicken?

-No, Ben.

It's going to eat you!

Emma and Ben live with mum Sue and dad John.

Emma is very calm, very organised.

Ben will be...like a bull in a china shop.

-Together...

-They're a great team together.

And so are Mum and Dad. So, why haven't they tied the knot?

I think I asked Sue to marry me 17 years ago.

And, um...we've talked about it on many occasions.

We've planned it on many occasions.

-But then other things in life have just cropped up.

-Yeah.

My dad's kind of like my best mate.

My mum's like one of my best friends. We do everything together.

They want to give Mum and Dad a real day to remember.

They do so much for us.

And we barely ever do anything for them.

This will probably make up for the million things they've done for us.

Mum and Dad might be a hard act to follow,

but Emma and Ben can't wait to be the bosses.

It's going to be really cool being in control of everything.

Being able to tell Mum and Dad what to do instead of them telling us.

Do these two have the skills to pull off a wedding in just two weeks

when it usually takes adults months?

What I'm hoping is the fact that the way we've brought them up

is that they live with us, where we have to be so organised.

Maybe a bit's rubbed off.

One day it might happen!

Do Ben and Emma agree?

I don't think I've organised anything in my life.

Oh! It's time our Marrying Mum and Dad team were put in charge.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here in this wet garden

to mix things up a bit.

Do you, Mum, allow your children

to completely and utterly organise a wedding day you will never forget?

I do.

Do you, Dad, accept you will have absolutely no say in what goes on?

I do.

With the handing over of the wedding planning book,

I now pronounce you officially 100% in charge.

CHEERING AND LAUGHTER

-Nothing to worry about.

-Oh!

-Really?

How do you handle not being in control?

Um...

'Sounds like this may be a little difficult for you, Mum and Dad.'

Emma and Ben have got less than two weeks to arrange the venue,

transport, theme, outfits, food and entertainment.

We need to move quickly.

Let's nail the wedding theme.

-So we've got a wedding to plan.

-Yep.

-What are your mum and dad like?

-They're mad.

They're all about fun.

You can't say anything without them laughing, really.

OK. First things first, theme?

Circus.

-Oh. Straight away, you know your theme.

-Yeah.

Circus seems a good theme to match their personalities.

-Yep.

-Are you agreed on that?

-Yep.

A circus wedding.

That's a great way to play Mum and Dad at their own game.

But how can we make the circus come to town here in Derby?

At least we've got a couple of circus acts standing by.

-We've got a clown already.

-Yep, we do.

-Got a strongman already.

-Bearded lady.

-Thank you very much(!)

That's me that's the strongman.

Let's have an arm-wrestle to find out who's the strongman. That'll do.

Oh, Ed. That's a bit embarrassing.

I can get fired out of a cannon.

A human cannonball!

I wonder where you could have a circus-themed wedding.

-I wonder.

-What sort of structure?

THEY LAUGH

-What are you thinking?

-Big top.

Where could we put a big top?

We have a farm right across the road.

The last thing you want in a wedding

is a farmer shouting, "Get off my land!"

We're thinking of, like, a church.

Wait a minute. A church? I thought the theme was circus.

But Emma and Ben are one step ahead.

-It's like a surprise.

-So you want to fool your mum and dad

into thinking they're having a traditional church wedding

and everything is going to be fairly as you would expect,

-then you'll surprise them with the circus bit?

-Yeah.

-I love the sound of that.

-I do, too. That sounds brilliant.

-So the church is a double bluff.

-No time for any clowning around. Ha!

-Hah-hah!

-Let's get to it, shall we?

Result! The theme, or themes, are sorted.

Start with a traditional wedding which Mum and Dad would never expect.

And then for reception, it's circus time,

where Emma and Ben can really go to town.

Time's tight. And now we have to find two venues

for this two-part wedding, it's even tighter.

Maybe the local cricket ground will fit the bill.

There's certainly plenty of space for lots of circus acts.

I know. On first impressions, this venue doesn't look very circusy.

But it does have a marquee that might double up as a circus big top.

Right, guys, what is your first reactions to this place?

-It's really nice.

-You like it?

-BOTH: Yeah.

-Do you think this will be good for the wedding?

-Yeah.

Only if there wasn't so many adults here.

Why don't you like them?

Cos they're playing cricket in the middle of a wedding.

-Shall we look in the circus-looking, tent-type place?

-Yeah.

Come on, then.

This readymade marquee might make this place the dream circus venue.

Ooo! It's really nice.

You like it? 'But can we fit the circus acts in here?'

We couldn't really get trapezes in here, could we?

Well, I think there's a possibility.

There's certainly beams we could hang the wires from.

What will Mum and Dad make of this?

They will really like it.

It's the style they like with all the drapes,

and the colour's really nice.

It's going to be a tough decision

-if the other place is good, isn't it?

-BOTH: Yeah.

All right. We've got some stuff to think about.

On to the next one. We'll think on.

The cricket ground's a possibility, but I think we can do better.

Next up, we're going to church.

This looks perfect for the first part of this double bluff wedding.

OK, so this is a much more traditional wedding venue.

It would keep the theme a surprise, as well.

It definitely would do that.

They would really believe they were having a...

-Traditional wedding.

-..traditional wedding.

-I really like this.

-Yeah.

-Let's have a look.

The church is in a country park

the family often visit for fun days out.

Emma and Ben will know if the circus part of the wedding can work here.

-Is there anywhere we can put a big top?

-Definitely.

There's a field just about over there.

-Do you want to show me?

-Yeah, let's go.

-Lead the way.

It looks like we could be on to a winner.

-It's a great-sized field.

-Definitely.

-How do you imagine this working?

-You could have a big top in the middle.

It's really well hidden from the church,

so we'll be able to keep it a secret from Mum and Dad.

-Definitely.

-Are you decided?

-Is this the place where your mum and dad are going to tie the knot?

-Yes.

-Definite?

-Definite.

-Good!

That's the venue sorted for this two-part wedding.

A church for the traditional bit and a field big enough for a big top.

Mum and Dad will have an unique wedding.

Well, they're doing pretty well. The venue at least is sorted.

We know it's going to be at the church,

but whether the circus is going to come to town remains to be seen.

There's just 11 days to go before this double-themed wedding.

Emma and Ben need to book a big top and they think they've found one.

You've found one? Show me!

Is this local?

Cornwall...

Cornwall. 200 miles away.

No. These are quite colourful.

-They are in Norfolk.

-Norfolk. 100 miles away.

Circus performers for hire in London.

Oh, dear. At this rate, we won't have a circus at this wedding.

Why is everything so far away from Derby?

Ah, but at last something a bit closer to home.

-Try them?

-Yep.

Let's see if we can get this big top booked.

Have you got any acts to go with it?

Erm, we would quite like trapeze.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Bye.

-'Bye, cheers.'

BOTH: Yes!

You did it! Yes, well done! Circus booked!

With day one at an end,

Emma and Ben are off to a great start planning Mum and Dad's wedding.

But the clock's ticking

and there's still plenty to do before the big day.

Fantastic news! The circus is booked. Now, you might think

because I'm doing entertainment I can put my feet up now

but Emma and Ben don't just want to go to the circus,

they want to BE in the circus.

It's time to get the entertainment sorted.

We're going to see the performers we've booked,

to do some training for the big surprise.

-This is Blaze.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-This is David.

They'll help you choose an act. How are you with heights?

A professional trapeze artist needs skill and co-ordination.

One wrong move at height can be catastrophic.

Most people have their whole life to practise. You have an afternoon.

-Push your belly button in, Ben.

-Agh!

One of the most famous trapeze moves is the birdie.

THEY CHEER

You've just done your first birdie, Emma!

-Say hello!

-Hello!

Ben's giving the more technically difficult forward roll a go.

-Start by standing up...

-Bring your nose to your knees.

-On the wedding day, Ben will be higher than this.

-Oooh!

He needs to get it right, or risk injury.

Mum, Dad, happy wedding day! Agh!

This could all end very badly.

-You OK?

-Have you hurt your bum?

High five!

We're hatching an idea that could cause an even bumpier landing.

A hoop that can suspend you 20 metres in the air has got us thinking.

-Can you think of two people that we could put on this?

-Mum and Dad.

I would be really worried if there was something to do with heights.

I'm not very good with heights.

-What do you reckon?

-They'd be terrified, but would do it.

-Yeah.

The entertainment is decided,

and Mum and Dad have no idea the whole family will be part of it.

Well, that should be the entertainment sorted

and the rehearsals were entertaining.

Not necessarily for the right reasons.

I don't know what Mum and Dad are going to make of that hoop.

Back home, Mum and Dad are getting nervous.

I think the reality that it's actually happening,

it's not too far away...

erm, is starting to hit home.

The fact that Emma and Ben are in complete control of it

-is a bit daunting, but certainly no second thoughts.

-No second thoughts.

Good job, too, as there's no going back now, Mum and Dad!

Keep out, Mum and Dad!

You've just done your first birdie, Emma!

Emma and Ben have been busy organising

one of the biggest days of their parents' lives.

It's a great sized field!

The bride and groom don't have a clue what they're up to.

-It'll be different.

-It won't be predictable.

They're doing well

but with less than two weeks till the big day

there's still plenty to get done.

So, what about the outfits?

What would you wear to a church-cum-circus wedding?

For the first part of the day to work,

the dress will need to be as traditional as possible.

My worst case scenario for dresses would be too sparkly, you know...

Just too over-the-top.

Which one do you think she would like best?

-The middle one.

-The middle one, really?

-Yeah.

I think it's more...it's not too simple and it's not too jazzed up.

I just like it.

There's no special features, it's just a dress that I like.

-Fabulous. I think your mum would look beautiful in it.

-It's really nice.

Not too sparkly, then.

But Ben has plans to bling up the dress,

ready for when the circus comes to town.

It's all a bit traditional so far, but I can't wait to mess up

the outfits and blow on the circus theme on them.

So that's the good part about this wedding.

The outfits are under way,

but I wonder what's going to happen to that dream dress in the big top.

With one day left, there's still a lot to do

if Emma and Ben want to pull off this double bluff wedding.

The order of service for the church wedding is a good decoy.

What we're doing to make it look as traditional as possible is...

we've made the order of service look quite posh

and not really that theme-ish...

So, I think that's not going to give anything away.

And Mum and Dad are becoming more and more nervous.

It's now starting to feel odd that we're not in control,

I think that's the thing we're finding the hardest.

In the house, it's very secretive. Lots of whispering...

It's as if it's not your house anymore, is it?

They've sort of taken over.

You have to ask permission to go into certain rooms.

It's all very cloak and dagger.

I think this is a really big challenge for Mum and Dad

because they're not in control and they can't do anything themselves.

But it's not only Mum and Dad who are worried about tomorrow.

I feel a bit scared about doing the trapezes and aerial hoop.

Ben, we will have practised.

And what about the birdie?

-It'll all be fine.

-I've forgotten how to do the birdie.

Ben might have forgotten some of his circus moves, but at the chosen venue

the professionals are well under way with their last-minute plans.

So there's no avoiding that trapeze, Ben!

Well, the venue is looking good, and tomorrow, it's show time!

Just two weeks ago, Emma and Ben's challenge of planning

their Mum and Dad's wedding was only a dream.

It looks really nice.

With time almost out,

there's last-minute ordering of some wedding wheels and some grub.

'We need to move fast. What food do you want?'

Emma and Ben have worked round the clock

to make sure their parents' wedding is full of fun.

With the wedding list all ticked off,

it's time for Marrying Mum And Dad Day.

The day of the wedding in two parts is here!

Can't wait to see their reactions

when the day starts so traditionally.

It's not what they're going to be expecting at all.

I need to make sure that preparations

for the wacky, fun-filled part are under way.

And I need to make sure that the first half of today

is as sensible and traditional as possible.

Otherwise this double bluff isn't going to work.

Emma and Ben want to make sure that their Mum and Dad

have no idea that by the end of today

they'll have started their married life in the middle of a circus ring.

And I'm confident that these outfits

specially chosen by Emma and Ben won't give the circus theme away.

But we have no idea if Mum and Dad are going to like them.

-Hello.

-A-ha!

-How are you? Come in.

I thought you'd done a runner!

-There's no escape now. Off you go!

-Thank you.

Mum and Dad will now be blindfolded

and helped into their mystery outfits by the Marrying Mum And Dad team.

They're still smiling. Let's hope it stays that way!

This is so unlike a normal wedding.

Never seen a big top at a wedding before!

Here in the field, the final preparations

for the surprise circus wedding are in full swing.

And back at home, with blindfold glasses on

things are looking a little unsteady.

Mum and Dad are now moments away from seeing themselves for the first time.

At least they made it safely down the stairs!

Oops, spoke too soon.

It's time to reveal exactly what Emma and Ben have chosen.

Are you ready to find out how you're going to look on your wedding day?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-So if you would like to remove your blindfold glasses...

Three, two, one...

Wow! You look amazing!

Oh, wow! Thank you.

-Are you surprised they went for something so traditional?

-Very.

-Very.

Very surprised. That's wonderful.

Great. Mum and Dad think it's going to be a traditional wedding.

-Thank you.

-As they set off to the venue, they're still in the dark.

Love it! Put your glasses on! We don't want you peeking!

The surprise circus wedding is still under wraps.

-See you at the secret venue!

-See you!

To the car.

At the church, even friends and family are fooled

as they arrive dressed for a traditional wedding.

Outside, Mum and Dad are about to find out

the venue is one of their favourite parks.

Good morning, everybody! You all look fantastic. Stop a moment.

Now is the time for you to take off the glasses,

so we can reveal the venue.

Oh, wow!

-Does it look familiar?

-It does!

-Is this what you were expecting?

-No, not at all.

How special will this ceremony be

knowing that Emma and Ben organised it?

-Absolutely, amazingly special.

-Don't cry!

Mum and Dad love it.

So, with the happy tears wiped away, let the wedding begin!

OK, that's it.

Let's marry Mum and Dad!

MUSIC: "Somebody to Love" by Queen

Dad's nervously in place. It's time to bring on Mum,

walked down the aisle by Emma.

# Somebody, somebody

# Can anybody find me?

# Somebody to love... #

We have come together in the presence of God

to witness the marriage of John and Sue.

Sue, I give you this ring...

-As a sign of our marriage...

-..as a sign of our marriage.

-With my body, I honour you...

-With my body, I honour you...

-All that I am, I give to you...

-All that I am, I give to you...

-All that I have, I share with you.

-All that I have, I share with you.

John and Sue have given their consent

and made their marriage vows to each other.

I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.

Mum and Dad are married!

And after that traditional service,

I imagine they expect a traditional reception to match.

That went well, didn't it? Tears all round.

Mum and Dad have no idea what's coming up next.

-Finally I can put this on.

-Yes!

Much more my style. Bring on the clowns!

Hope they weren't hoping for a traditional wedding all day.

They seem to be really enjoying themselves.

-Yeah, they do, don't they?

-Oh, well.

-Too late now.

The wedding guests are clowned up and waiting for Mum and Dad.

And it's back on with the blindfold glasses for the Big Circus Surprise.

I absolutely promise you, this is the last blindfold you'll wear today.

So it's time, Sue and John,

to reveal where you'll be spending the rest of your wedding day.

-Please take off the blindfolds.

-THEY CHEER

This is more their style, isn't it?

At last, the second theme of the day is revealed.

You couldn't get further from traditional than this.

-And Mum and Dad love it.

-That's amazing!

-I can give you another tissue...

-Yes!

Emma and Ben's efforts have moved Mum and Dad to happy tears again.

-Third tissue of the day for Sue!

-And Dad!

Do you want to dress them up?

BOTH: Yes!

Emma and Ben look great in their clown outfits,

and they can't wait to finally get Mum and Dad into theirs.

-Looking good, Mum and Dad!

-Let's get this circus started.

The entertainment is under way.

And this being a Marrying Mum And Dad wedding, it's far from usual.

Blaze and David from the circus training session

thrill the guests with a show-stopping trapeze performance.

Woah!

Mum and Dad still have no idea that soon they'll be the entertainers.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Wow! Wow, that's amazing!

CHEERING

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

please put your hands together for Ed.

It's time for me to introduce our budding circus performers.

I know John and Sue are probably thinking they've had

enough surprises today, but that's not what Emma and Ben thought.

Backstage, Emma and Ben are looking nervous.

So please put your hands together

and be a big, big welcoming cheer to Emma and Ben.

Welcome them to the ring!

AUDIENCE CHEERS After just a few hours of training,

Emma and Ben step up for their big performance.

That's a birdie to be proud of.

CHEERING

They're really nailing this.

And finally...it looks dangerous...

it's the forward roll.

AUDIENCE CHEERS

Mum and Dad can't believe their children have joined the circus.

HE WHOOPS

They did it!

But there's another surprise Mum and Dad haven't seen coming.

It's time for the Hoop Challenge.

Into the ring! Into the ring!

Remember Mum's fear of heights?

Well, this is the one thing she didn't want on her wedding day.

AUDIENCE CLAPS AND CHEERS

You've dropped your nose!

Ben and Emma are thrilled that Mum and Dad

have gone all out to confront their fears on their wedding day.

The double themed wedding is almost over.

How do the family think it's gone?

I'm absolutely thrilled to bits.

It's been an amazing day.

They've outdone themselves on every aspect, haven't they?

-We're so incredibly proud.

-Very, very proud of them.

It's been great, everything's gone to plan

and it's so wicked that Mum and Dad are now finally married.

I think they've really enjoyed it.

Just looking at them, they had no idea it was going to be circus.

I didn't expect so much.

And, erm... that's why this is beyond your expectations.

-Do you want my tissue?

-Cheers.

It's gone amazing, I couldn't have wished for a better day.

Nope, nor could I.

-Wow, what an amazing day.

-I know, I feel like I've been to two weddings.

Yeah, it's the first wedding I've been to with three rings.

-Eh?

-The wedding rings and the circus ring.

-What time's your act on?

-I might try and get on at eight o'clock.

-Eight o'clock? Oh, that's a shame, I've got to go home now.

-Oh.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd