Married in Britain

# I'm glad, I'm glad

# I will get married today. #

I am excited!

There are 62 million people living in Britain today -

of those over seven million were born outside of the country.

As the number of immigrants increases, so does the assortment of weddings.

I would say of my customers, 60% would be foreign.

You look beautiful, amazing.

To come from different nations, to come to this country and be able to

achieve the marriages, the unity, that's the achievement,

that's a great achievement for life.

In this film, we meet some of Britain's recent arrivals

as they prepare for their most important of days.

Empty!

Last night I had like three hours of sleeping.

It's easy to come, but it's hard to stay.

What makes it hard to stay?

Oh, the rent!

You cannot get something for free.

You have to work.

CHEERING

We Africans, we don't really forget our traditions.

We feel like if the tradition is not part of it, there's no wedding.

It is home for me now.

You cannot imagine how happy am I to get married here.

Britain plays host to weddings for over 180 nationalities,

and supporting them is an army of businesses.

What we do, we do photography, videography,

wedding invitation cards.

I do hair, I do nails, I do beauty.

Spain, Tunisia, Ghana, you name it, they come here.

PHOTOGRAPHER SPEAKS TURKISH

Banqueting halls up and down the country

cater for the multitude of cultures.

We have the Somalian community, the Congolese community, the Nigerian,

Ghanaian, Turkish...erm...

we don't have British!

So how many weddings do you have each week all year?

Oh, gosh, we are pretty much booked up for this year,

all our weekends have been gone.

And starting from October 1st to the end of December

we are booked nearly seven days a week.

Everyone goes for a different style or theme, so you need to

order all their colour schemes

and all their centrepieces just on time for their wedding.

It's quite chaotic actually because you need to get

all the details right for each client.

And it can get a bit stressful.

32-year-old Fernanda left her home country of Brazil to start a new life in Britain.

Today she is preparing for her wedding in five weeks' time.

I'm really excited, I cannot wait to see it ready, you know.

Oh, my God!

And I want to see my beautiful tiara, as well,

let me get here, my beautiful tiara...on my hair.

It's more English, this style, I think,

than Brazilian. I'm going to try this one, I've never wear the hair like this before.

So how come you've adopted a slightly more English hairstyle, do you think?

Oh, because I think it's so beautiful, you know.

And today we are part of England...

you know, like a lot of things we adopted from England

and so I want my wedding to be Brazilian but with English thoughts.

Fernanda moved to Britain 10 years ago with her partner, Clovis.

PHONE RINGS

'Hello, 1 3?'

Charlie, 1 3, good morning.

'Good morning, sir.'

There is a change of our destination,

I'd like a new quotation for our next drop at Liverpool Street Station, then coming

back to SE 28, please.

MUFFLED RADIO MESSAGE

I've been many places, London is absolutely fantastic.

This is, I'm going to say it for the Londoners who complain about London.

Don't complain about London, London is a wonderful town,

very organised, very good, very good at all.

I know more about the world after I've been living in London than before,

because here you get to see a lot of people from Europe,

from South Africa, from America, everywhere.

You see people from everywhere here.

Oh, so beautiful! Oh, my God, I cannot believe it.

I chose Britain because I want to learn English, I want to learn

the culture and the most important, the opportunities of work.

I have no doubt, no doubt at all, that people choose this country

because of the pound.

They don't choose because of the weather!

As the wage-earner in the family,

Clovis has set a firm limit on the wedding budget.

It's a princess dress and I loved it when I saw it,

and it's so beautiful and delicate.

It's not too much, you know, it's something that I wanted.

I paid £154 for my dress, I bought it through the internet.

I love the colour of the sash, you know, and it's quite a long dress, as well.

And my shoes, I've got also my shoes -

£14.99, my shoes.

I want to spend only £1,000 for this wedding.

It sounds ridiculous.

She's understanding, she's understanding but I have to keep

telling her...

.."Everything you want to do, ask me first."

So what got left off the list because of the budget?

If I had lots more money, I could have bring my mum and my mother-in-law,

at least, for the wedding.

Your mother's not coming to the wedding?

No, not my mum because it's too expensive to fly,

and I've just recently lost a brother in Brazil,

so my mum is recovering of that.

She doesn't want to be away of my dad and so, yeah.

How do you feel about that?

It's really sad, you know, because...

..I couldn't be there when he died, you know.

We miss a lot of things, living away, you know.

But it's OK.

It's OK.

Sorry.

At the start, it was difficult to adjust myself because I have no relatives here,

I wasn't know anyone here.

I was excited you know, different buildings here,

beautiful, you know, roads,

you know, motorways, nice ones - really, really perfect.

British people are a bit posh and I think they're known for that all

over the world, you know, to be a bit snobby.

But actually that's part of it and you have to just blend in,

maybe even become like a posh yourself.

LAUGHTER

When I came to London, I didn't speak English, almost at all,

I didn't understand the people, even I was scared to go in a shop.

For the first six months, if I'm not wrong, I didn't get out the house,

because I was scared of not getting lost with the buses, to be honest.

17-year-old student Marian moved over from Romania with his family three years ago.

Do you prefer living in England than in Romania?

Oh, yes, you're lucky I'm not allowed to swear

because I'd say, "Hell, yes!"

What is it you don't like about Romania?

What I don't like about Romania?

Everything.

If you don't have money, people don't care about you.

You can be dying on the road,

they would just turn their back to you and walk away,

but England, yes, England is a very nice country

where people, if you need help, will come, will help you.

Marian is currently a member of the Army Cadets.

In two years' time, he will receive his British passport

and will be allowed to join the British Army.

I want to join the British Army because Britain welcomed me here.

I want to join the British Army, not the Romanian Army.

Er, and it's not all about money - because people will understand it

the other way, yeah? People will be, like,

"OK, he wants to join the British Army because they pay more." No.

I've been welcomed in England any time, so that's why I want

-to join the British Army.

-So you'd be willing to lay down your life

-for the sake of...Britain?

-Yes. Yeah.

When Marian's family left Romania three years ago,

some of them split up, looking for work elsewhere in Europe.

Now, eight members of the family live together in Hertfordshire.

This includes his older brother Catalin, who arrived a year ago

and is getting married in three days' time.

In the house tonight is all my family - our families...

Yeah? The family of my wife... So, this is my mother-in-law, yeah?

This is my brother-in-law.

My father-in-law - his name is Mucha.

Yeah? He say hello.

Hello!

Here is my mum - cooking, baking.

Here we have Cassandra.

Er...she can't speak proper English.

And my little boy!

The number of immigrant parents

giving birth within Britain is increasing.

One in four births are now from parents born outside of the country.

All this...happened very quick, you know,

for me. Now have family, child, house, pay rent,

work... Of course it's like a shock, yeah?

But it's a good one. I'm happy. I think it's a good shock for me.

Cassandra is also Romanian. The couple met whilst working in Spain.

I never dreamed to be here - to come here, to work here,

to make, you know, my life here, I never dreamed.

It was the most biggest dream that I had in all my life.

And the dream come true, you know.

-Why is it such a dream?

-I don't know. I think because of the...

of the people, you know, the British people, the...

You know, they are...

quite different about European people, you know.

I hope make enough money to can buy a house here.

This is the most important.

-At this moment, I want to buy a house.

-What about Cassandra,

-what does she want?

-THEY SPEAK ROMANIAN

The same, to do the... To have a happy family here in UK...

..is the same, quite, you know.

I came to Britain,

I set a challenge to myself

that I want to make it where no-one in my family have ever made it.

I came to England, really, after finish my study in...

back home, Iran, to see the Beatles.

Peace and love! That's everything!

Freedom of speech. In my house, I speak my mind,

and they say to me, "Mum..." I say, "Listen,

"I come all the way to Britain to have freedom of speech,

"which I was denied of in Syria, in Damascus."

In Afghanistan, it's a tough life -

no work, you know, too much problems for the people.

People bomb the schools, they destroy the buildings, they...

kill the people. I am happy, my brother's here.

When I come here, my wife, my family, everyone is here - and I'm happy.

There are many reasons why people

choose to make Britain their new home.

For 40-year-old Clovis, it was a dramatic change

in his financial fortunes that prompted the move.

Having run a successful chain of clothes shops in Brazil,

an unexpected downturn in the market meant he lost everything.

10 years of work, hard work,

and, like, in two years, it's all gone - all gone.

Clovis now works up to 60 hours a week as a minicab driver.

To get to this position, he had to take a path familiar

to many new arrivals.

When I first got here, erm...

..after a hard search, I found a job cleaning...

cleaning offices in early mornings and in evenings.

Then I went to work in a coffee shop, washing...washing plates.

Like, six months later, I was delivering pizzas.

Ha-ha-ha!

SHE SPEAKS BRAZILIAN

Making a new start in Britain did not come easy

for Clovis or his partner, Fernanda.

When we decided to come to England, it was because my cousin,

she...she came with a friend to study here.

So she said, "Oh, it's an amazing place, you're going to love it.

"You should come." So, we decided to come.

I came, I said, "Oh, my God. I cried for six months."

Everything is different, you know? Everything is completely different.

-You cried for six months?

-For six months.

I couldn't speak with my mum and dad - that I cried, you know?

Like, "Mum, I want to go home! Why am I here?" You know,

because I didn't speak English, I couldn't talk to anyone,

so it was a nightmare for me.

When I was in Brazil, I had everything. I had my business,

I had money, I had cars. And... then I start dating Fernanda.

She saw me losing my...my life.

And...

..she stayed by my side.

So, when did things change? When did things get easier?

I met some other Brazilian people that were

studying here, living here, with a life,

and then I said, "Oh, it's not so bad," you know.

"I can do that! I can manage!"

Then I said, "OK, not going to cry any more. I will survive here."

And that was when things started to change, you know, for me.

For the newcomers that decide to remain in Britain,

weddings can be an important way to retain traditions

that may otherwise be forgotten.

North London has the highest concentration of Turkish immigrants

in the country, with the wedding season peaking in October.

Do you find yourself going to many weddings?

Yes. There is actually two or three weddings every week.

Well, I don't go to every one of them.

Only my close friends, I go to their wedding.

This week, Abdullah has come to the wedding of his cousin Huseyin,

who is marrying girlfriend Semra.

In Turkey, weddings usually take place in villages,

and in villages, there is no, like, orchestra,

so what they use is the drum and the flute.

We don't count it as a wedding without the drum and the flute.

So, it's very important.

It's a tradition. It's been thousands of years now.

This happens - same in Turkey, everywhere where Turkish people live.

Romanian-born Catalin and Cassandra are about to marry

at their local registry office.

Usually we're doing register and the wedding all in the same day.

Er, now it's got to be a little bit different,

because it's the wedding ceremony today

and then tomorrow it's going to be, like, the church and all that.

Proof of ID and an address

is all the paperwork needed to marry in Britain.

But the bride is expected to understand the vows being taken.

Cassandra arrived in Britain just five months ago,

and knows very little English, so by law, she must have a translator.

Marian has volunteered.

Before you join together in matrimony, I have to remind you

of the solemn and binding character

of the vows you are about to make today.

HE TRANSLATES INTO ROMANIAN

-Just a second, yeah?

-That's fine.

THEY WHISPER

-I cannot explain it...

-So, he... Before they join together,

I have to remind them of the solemn and binding character

of the vows they are about to make today.

HE TRIES TO TRANSLATE

OTHERS TRY TO HELP IN ROMANIAN

Just one person, please, just one person.

OK?

And now, I'm delighted to say, you're now legally

husband and wife. Congratulations!

THEY SING IN ROMANIAN

I didn't know how to explain one of the words.

So, because of that one word, I wasn't...

able to say the whole phrase, do you know what I mean?

Because of one word! THEY ALL SPEAK ROMANIAN

Catalin and Cassandra will have a Romanian church blessing tomorrow.

Wouldn't it be nice here...?

Oh!

Yeah. So, that, it's about, erm...

showcasing... African wedding culture.

My drum have just said to you,

"Welcome to African wedding!"

# Oh, ye-e-e-eah

# Oh, ye-e-e-e-eah

# Oh, ye-e-e-eah... #

We Africans, we don't really forget our traditions.

And our traditions are part of our daily life.

And a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event....

for we Africans.

and we want to have it the best.

That's why you see us in traditional attire,

you hear the music, it's traditional,

just to represent that this is what Africa is all about.

This wedding in London is for Abdi and Ifrah,

who are from Somaliland, East Africa.

Somaliland community is one of the oldest communities

who has come to UK.

In the early 19th century, that's when the Somalilanders

arrived in the UK, and we have a strong relationship

with the British, and we were part of the British Commonwealth.

MUSIC CONTINUES

There's a lot of beautiful things in Somaliland culture - the history,

and the culture is so beautiful when it comes to songs

and poetry... It's very important to...to hold onto your culture.

But at the same time, you also have to...integrate.

While weddings play their part in maintaining cultural identity,

not everyone is so enthusiastic about keeping with tradition.

This is Ali. He's the...

guy with the music.

ACCORDION PLAYS JOLLY MUSIC

If I do my wedding by myself, only me and my wife,

I do, like, church, registration, finish.

Then have a small party, but our families want to do this -

you know, the tradition...

I don't like traditional Romanian music in my everyday life, yeah?

I don't listen to it.

Catalin has already legally married at a registrar's,

but today, the Romanian wedding traditions begin.

He's going to have to take care of the...of the tree, yeah?

Just like the husband takes care of the wife, yeah?

Someone will steal it, yeah, and they will ask for something

to give it back.

-So, the tree represents the bride?

-The bride, yeah.

-So you have to look after that all day?

-All day, yeah.

-All night...

All day, all night!

Rather than wait at the aisle for his bride to arrive,

the groom is expected to collect her from her house.

In Romania, we have a tradition. We have to beep the horn

all the way to the bride's house.

HORNS BLARE

Everybody need to know we are coming to take the bride,

and we need to make noise, like, you know, so we are coming!

They know from far away we are coming to take the bride.

But taking the bride isn't quite as easy as it sounds.

Somebody from the family of the bride...have to...don't let me in,

inside the house, till I don't say what I'm looking for,

and if I have something to give them.

-THEY SPEAK ROMANIAN

-If you want, I give you money...

THEY SPEAK ROMANIAN

I have to give something to the mother of the bride.

I give her my promise, like I will take care of their daughter

till the end of my life.

CHEERING AND CLAPPING

As the bride sets out for the church, tradition states

that the guests should be fed from an oversized loaf of bread.

She threw one forward, one to the left,

one to the right... No, hold on.

She threw it in a cross... er, sign, yeah?

ACCORDION PLAYS

CAR HORNS BLARE

We're going to a church, yeah, for the...ceremony.

See you there!

PRIEST SPEAKS ROMANIAN

Though happy to embrace Romanian traditions for his wedding day,

Catalin isn't precious about holding onto them for ever.

But traditions change from generation to generation.

Our parents, they are old, yeah?

So, they keep the traditional, like...was in their times, yeah?

Now, tradition change, so... I don't think my child,

I don't think he will have a traditional wedding.

For the time being, Catalin will be

loyal to his country's wedding traditions.

UPBEAT ROMANIAN DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

In some parts of Romania, it is customary to kidnap the bride

and hold her to ransom.

Despite being five months pregnant, this does not rule Cassandra out.

We need to go tell everyone, yeah, the bride's been stolen.

HE SPEAKS ROMANIAN

Once the ransom has been paid, the guilty party are expected

to consume their prize!

CHEERING

It was the most beautiful day from...

my whole life, yeah?

Having joined his family here just over a year ago,

Catalin now intends to remain settled in Britain.

From one small, happy family, now we are a big, happy family,

so I think it is better for us to be here in the UK.

Do you think your son will get married in Britain?

Yeah, I hope so. Yeah, yeah, definitely, yeah, will be here.

I am really proud of him.

I am saying this with my whole heart, yeah, with everything,

with my soul, I'm saying this, I don't care.

I'm really proud of my brother.

Will you get married in Britain?

Yes, to an English girl, yes, I will, probably.

You come here to achieve something, you come here,

you've got skills or you gain skills and pursue something.

Much more opportunities, no matter how old you are,

-you've got more opportunities.

-What sort of opportunities?

Here, you can be 50, you can still go to university, for example.

I did have the opportunity to work.

It's the best gift to humanity, is to work with dignity.

I'm in the back of a market, I mean I want to be on a High Street.

I've got big vision, I want to be able to have branches

all over the place, you know, really make it.

I am the first Ghanaian who started mobile phones.

In fact, the first mobile phone shop in the whole area of Hackney,

is this shop you are in now.

You should have come to my old office, that's brilliant.

For decades, foreign nationals have been encouraged to come

and work in Britain.

Today, of the country's 30-million-strong work force,

over four million are immigrants.

This job is very special to me, it's so much, really, I like it.

-IMITATES GUN FIRING

-Shotting. Shotting or shooting?

-Shooting.

-Shooting, yeah.

-Nails?

-Nails, yeah, yeah.

Put together a team bar with plywood,

together, you know, it's number one.

I like it.

We have a lot of Polish workers here, who are very good workers,

and not just Polish, you know, other nationalities, as well.

29-year-old Robert moved here from Poland.

After trying a number of jobs, he settled for the night shift

at this packing factory near Heathrow.

-There must be some jobs you didn't like?

-Yes, of course.

Sometimes, it's difficult with people

because when it's a problem, the problem is in people.

Different characters, different nations,

some people doesn't like you because you are, you know, different nation

or maybe you are speaking just a little bit English,

something like that.

Why did you want to come to the UK?

I needed change in my life, I need a job, I needed change.

I was drinking a lot of... I was an alcoholic.

Having been alone since he moved to Britain five years ago,

Robert has recently met someone.

It's very deep in my heart.

I don't know how can I describe you about that.

It's difficult for me but I'm telling you, I miss her now

because she is now in Leeds.

I love her so much, so much and I am sure, I'm sure, I'm sure

that she is the woman for my life.

Robert was introduced to fellow Pole, Annetta,

through a friend at his local church two months ago.

They will marry in 10 days time.

THEY SPEAK POLISH

She said to me, she was looking for a Christian man, like me.

My love to Christ is very big,

and she was looking for that, you know,

in a man.

-Has she found it?

-HE SPEAKS POLISH

-Yes.

-Yes, she did.

HE SPEAKS POLISH

Everyone has a problem in past time, yeah,

but it's very important where you are today, who are you today.

That's the point.

Like many of the immigrants that come to Britain,

Brazilians, Clovis and Fernanda, found support through their church.

Every week, we go to Mass.

We are really Catholic in Brazil

and it's really important for our people going to the church.

Is religion, do you think, as important to people in Britain?

To be honest with you,

I got quite shocked when I arrived in London.

People here doesn't believe in God as much as we do in my country.

There is a lot of people who doesn't believe in God here.

They don't see God as important as we do, because they get...

they get everything they want, so they don't think they don't need God.

HE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE

Father Vanderley has been holding services here in Portuguese

for two years.

We Brazilians, we are very close to the music.

We clap hands, we stand the arms

and we sing aloud

and English people is more quiet.

This church in East London was under threat of closure

until it was revived by the growing Brazilian community.

Clovis and Fernanda will have their service here three weeks from now.

Factory worker Robert and his new fiance, Annetta,

have just a week before their wedding.

How I ask, I say, how do you feel?

She said, like a princess.

And how do you think she looks?

Well, she looks beautiful, beauty, beautiful, amazing, it's amazing.

After becoming engaged three weeks ago,

Robert has been desperately saving up for their wedding.

-You've got shoes, tiara.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We give you 10% discount on everything, so, £250.

Don't worry, should be all right,

I have to go on overtime.

Overtimes, make more overtimes.

I pay with smile on my face, the best time in my life.

Was it quite expensive for you?

It is, but if you love someone,

then you do for that person everything, yeah?

It is true.

That is true!

Thank you so much for help.

-Thank you, you're a very nice person.

-THEY SPEAK POLISH

Seamstresses, Nataliya and Maryanne, were also born outside the UK.

I think they looked really good, don't you?

Yes, I think they are young, excited about marriage,

and knowing that they haven't seen each other for a long time.

Two months is just, you know, amazing.

I said, "Don't worry it's a good time,

"I knew my husband two months and now we've been together 25 years!"!

That made them laugh!

Do you get many different nationalities here?

We do, we do get different nationalities.

-Europeans, most Europeans, really.

-Indian.

And Indian, Indian girls we had, as well.

South African.

As well, yes, I forgot that, South African, yes.

A couples' nationality is not recorded on a marriage certificate,

so it's hard to know how many of the 240,000 weddings each year

are immigrant.

But the wedding industry can give us a clue.

40%, I would say, of my customers are British-English

and 60% would be foreign.

I cater for everyone and anyone. Any nationality, any colour.

Purple is a very good colour for the Hindu community, whereas

in the Muslim community, they would prefer dark emerald green.

Mainly we have Nigerians, we have some from Kenya.

They love a lot of bling, a lot of embroidery, a lot of sparkle.

We do a lot with the Middle East, Africa.

The Turkish community are out to impress,

whereas the English bride is a bit more conservative.

Now, this kind of a top will be preferred more by a Hindu

or a Sikh community.

In different cultures, like mainly the Africans,

they do tend to get married first before they have a family.

The Eastern, definitely, they have to get married first,

where as the English, the English, the British-English couples

tend to be girlfriend, boyfriend.

They don't put a value on marriage as much as the foreign people.

With Clovis and Fernanda's wedding in just two days' time,

they're making their final preparations.

We have a freesia,

they can open at their own rate, there's no problem.

Gypsophlia is probably best to come out the cellophane.

That will sweat round the edges and that will mark up, yeah?

Everything is here, everything is done.

Now we have to pay for it.

Painful for him but, for me,

I'm so happy that my flowers are all here and beautiful.

Minicab driver Clovis was trying to keep their entire

wedding budget below £1,000.

How many hours are you driving?

Around 30 hours, 40, yeah, I'd say, like, 40 hours of work.

£490.80.

90...

Clovis is nervous about it and he was going to get upset

because of the price and everything,

but he was OK with that and I'm really happy with that, you know.

You don't expect that you're going to spend £500.

She said she spent £500 in flowers. I said, "Are you mad?"

How about Fernanda? How do you think Fernanda feels?

Fernanda, she is very happy.

We've been through, we've been through very, very happy,

spending the money on flowers, I think so, I guess.

With just a day to go before the wedding,

Fernanda and Clovis have to prepare for up to 80 guests.

But with no budget to hire caterers, they've opted to get baking.

I'm making the base of the canapes.

I will bake around 400 canapes.

Fernanda has sought help from a neighbour, Juliana,

with the dessert.

The sharing of sweets at Brazilian weddings is considered good luck.

We are here since eight o'clock in the morning doing this.

Another two nights without sleeping, we going to be fine.

We going to be finished everything on time.

Why have you chosen to be here?

She is the best of us to make sweets,

but also because her kitchen is the biggest.

-We've got space in here.

-We've got more space for people to be in here.

You don't know, but in Brazil,

the biggest room in the house is the kitchen

because everyone likes to cook and talk.

Normally we've got big family.

-Do you find British kitchens rather small?

-Oh, my God, it is so small.

Would you have preferred to have got a caterer in?

Not really.

Of course, it's much work for us,

but it makes it special because it's done by us

and everybody appreciate that.

"Oh, my God, you made it all by yourself, it's so nice."

It's worth it, so.

# I'm glad, I'm glad

# I will get married today! #

I am excited!

I'm very happy, because I will get married today

and I will have a wife.

My family, you know, my family I will have a new...

You know, my own family.

I'm amazing.

Unable to afford time off work, factory worker Robert

has been continuing his night shifts during the build-up to the wedding.

I sleep four hours and go again to work, you know.

It's so, so busy, so hard.

I feel very good today.

-Polish cooking?

-Of course, it is Polish cuisine.

The service and reception is being held at the international church

that Robert has attended since moving to Britain.

Father, God, that is holy, that is righteous, you are there.

Father, all the help that are here,

Father, we just ask you to bless every hand

in this place.

Thank you, so much. OK, this is my pastor, Trev, yeah?

He is my spiritual Father, as well, and my friend, as well

and my brother in Christ.

Any problem, I can call to him, I can tell him and he always,

you know, encourage me, he pray for me. "Robert, it will be all right."

-That's friendship.

-Friendship, yes.

As a recovering alcoholic, Robert came to England to make

a fresh start in life and made his intentions clear to Annetta.

I said to her, "I don't want to play with anyone,

"I looking for wife, I'm looking for wife."

My dream is to have a wife and a nice family.

I want to have a family.

Friends, we welcome you today as we come to share

with Robert and Annetta this very special moment in their lives,

as they come before the presence of God to be joined together

as husband and wife.

TRANSLATOR SPEAKS POLISH

All of us have problems and all of us have mountains to overcome.

In Robert, it's beautiful things to see.

He conquered certain things,

he still believed that actually he can have a good life

and he can have the best life, he can have the best wife.

He found such a beautiful wife.

Robert, if you'll take Annetta's ring...

GOSIA TRANSLATES IN POLISH

..place it on her finger...

And if you would repeat after me.

Annetta, with this ring...

GOSIA TRANSLATES IN POLISH

ROBERT SPEAKS

I pledge myself to you.

In the name of the Father...

..and the Son...

and the Holy Spirit.

-Amen.

-Amen.

Robert, you may kiss your bride.

CHEERING

To come from different nations, to come to this country

and be able to achieve the marriage as a unit,

that's achievement, that's a great achievement for life.

So I would like to see them 99 years old, 100 years old,

still holding their hands, going, you know, on the dates together.

I love her so much, you know.

Now I realise,

to myself that she's my wife.

-What's your plan for the future?

-HE TRANSLATES

What Lord give us will be, but we would like...

I would like to have a baby.

The night before their wedding, Clovis and Fernanda are organising

the reception venue with a little help from their friends.

Just got here.

They work already with the decorations, the party decorations.

They are very, very good friends of ours.

They are giving us a gift -

all the decoration for the party.

When he said, "I'm going to get married,"

I said, "That's fine, let's help him."

We found what we had and then we're just here today

to do his dream coming true.

This middle aisle empty for dancing and cha-cha-cha.

I only need a bit of space between tables because I have to move around

and I'm going to give the gift for everybody.

Just leave a bit of room for me, it's fine.

We are going to completely transform this place.

It will be beautiful, you wait and see.

Britain is one of the best places to live.

Personally, as a black man,

personally, as a foreigner, society is just receptive.

In Britain, you have to respect the law of this country.

And the law of this country, whatever it is,

is that you live in it or you clear off of it.

And this is what is wrong, sometimes they are too soft.

If you ask me, this is my own opinion,

we should be grateful to be allowed in, in the first place.

Britain has allowed too many immigrants in this country.

Looking at the size and the job opportunities here,

immigrants are too many, I think.

You can feel it now.

All you see, you see these laws they're passing every year.

There is that feeling, you know, amongst the population,

amongst some of us, that they're making it harder for us.

Maybe they don't want us here, you know.

They need the immigrants here,

they need the foreigners to do the low-paid jobs.

I think if every immigrant, every foreigner,

leave this country tomorrow...

..the country would collapse, for sure.

Fernanda's wedding day has arrived.

Oh, my God, my heart.

Neither family of the bride or groom could afford the flight

over from Brazil.

This is my rosary and look, I'm shaking, sorry.

I'm going in the church with the rosary, because, for me,

it represents my mum, you know.

It's like my mum is coming with me, she's here also.

It will be really important for me to do that.

The church and reception venue were still being decorated

into the early hours.

Clovis has gone ahead early to complete the preparations.

SHE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE

Everything under control at the venue.

Clovis has said to me that everything is done,

everything is perfect.

HE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE

You forgot your book here.

I have to get dressed.

With her father absent, Fernanda will be walked down the aisle

by her friend and neighbour, Filipe, who is also acting as her chauffeur.

Why did you choose a black cab?

I think it represents London,

because we only can find black cabs in here.

So, it would make really special to get to church in a black cab,

so that is why I chose it.

Last night, I had, like, three hours of sleeping.

The night before, I had, like, four hours of sleeping,

so I'm quite... I'm pretty much tired.

I need some energy.

HE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE

This is very important.

Just waiting now for the flower girls with the bouquet. She is late.

I never dream of getting married in London.

When I was younger, I never actually thought that

I was going to live abroad, never ever in my life, you know.

And here we are and I'm getting married today.

It's amazing how things turn out to be.

HORN BEEPS

This is the final piece for our relationship,

for our life together.

I'm glad that we are doing this, you know.

I'm glad that we are doing this here, because it means a lot to us,

this church, this priest, the people that we know.

THEY SPEAK PORTUGUESE

CLAPPING

CRASH OF THUNDER

Thank you!

It's a celebration, hey! It's the fireworks!

When it's raining a lot in a wedding in Brazil,

it's because it's a blessing.

We don't have rainy weather over there.

So, when it's raining, it's a lot of bless,

so I'm still being blessed even in London.

The reason for cutting the tie

is traditionally connected with funding their honeymoon.

With support from their friends, Clovis and Fernanda have managed

to only slightly over-spend on their wedding budget of £1,000.

We had our budget and we've done much, much more

than the money could pay.

All the effort of our friends doesn't have a price,

that's going to stick with us forever.

This is not actually our wedding,

it's all of our friends' wedding as well.

They all help out, they all put in some effort to do it.

It was something for everyone.

With the reception over and the thunderstorm dying down,

the couple are finally able to pose for their wedding photos.

It's a big step for a foreigner, having your own house,

living by yourself with your family.

It's a big thing here. I consider myself a winner.

Thumbs up, can you do thumbs up?

We've been through so many things for the past few years.

Living abroad, to have the girls here.

It makes it even better because we going to be attached forever now.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd