Christmas in Wonderland Don't Tell the Bride

This programme contains some strong language

-Don't Tell The Bride is back for a Christmas special. Juan gets £12,000.

-Do you think I'm mad?

To give his Bride to be Alice the Christmas wedding she'll never forget.

I like the idea of showing a bit of leg. She'll look bang tidy.

By taking on her favourite fairy tale.

We're doing an Alice in Wonderland Wedding

Are you serious?!

But with a ceremony across the pond...

You're flying to New York today.

..and a Bride that can't stop crying.

-You all right?

-SHE WEEPS

Can I have a hug?

Will a big day in the Big Apple

prove rotten to the core?

This is your future mother-in-law and your wife,

do you really want to start off with this situation going on?

Will it be a festive delight?

-You can literally see my pubes.

-Or a nightmare before Christmas?

It's the one thing I wanted him to get right.

Basically, if we don't get sort it out they're going to go home.

Can this mad hatter...

It's not going to be nearly as good as you thought it was going to be

You actually want £500 off each of us?

..give his very own Alice?

I hope something goes right today - something has to.

..the fairy tale wedding of her dreams?

It's so bad - it's awful.

I just didn't want him to have a massive joke,

and I already know that's exactly what he's done.

This Christmas, 26-year-old Juan from Brighton wants to give

his 25-year-old fiancee, Alice, a festive gift she'll never forget.

That one's quite good.

I want one that's tidy. I want a nice tidy bush!

In three weeks' time, he wants to pull off her dream wedding

so they can spend their first Christmas in a new home as husband and wife

It's all right, Alice. It's heavier than it looks(!)

The couple met 14 months ago in London,

when Alice ran out of money one night.

I was really stuck and didn't know what to do I think

I had about £2 in my wallet if that.

In need of being saved

she turned to a dating website, and found Juan

So I get a message that says, "I'm in town on business

"but wouldn't mind a bit of pleasure!"

I can't believe you just said that!

Well, that is what you said.

-You didn't get any pleasure, though.

-I didn't get any pleasure, though!

Six months into their relationship and head over heels in love,

Juan was about to pop the question,

when his romantic plan was foiled by a disastrous phone call

We were in the car driving and I had the speakerphone on

and my boss said, "So what's this about you getting engaged then?"

I was like, "Oh, no!"

Despite the spoiled surprise, Alice said yes.

And Juan's been on cloud nine ever since.

I want to get married because I want everyone to see how much I love you.

You're going to make me cry.

By day, Juan's an account manager.

But, outside of work, managing isn't a strong point.

You always say it'll be all right,

there's loads of time, and their never is.

Yeah, but it always is all right.

It never is all right.

Organised Alice couldn't be more different.

I plan for a plan I write a list for a list.

-I guess I'm quite focused and a bit anal with things.

-Yeah.

And number one on that list is looking good

I take pride in how I look.

First impressions are everything. Yeah, I like to look good.

Alice always dreamt of being a designer,

and after achieving a first in fashion at university

she took an internship at a London fashion house.

Fashion, to a certain extent, was always my first love and always what I'd chosen to follow.

It's all I ever wanted to do since I was about 12 years old.

But six months into their relationship

and Juan wanted to move back to his hometown near Brighton.

Alice faced a crushing dilemma

I think when you're in a relationship it's a lot about compromise.

Alice decided to give up the glamorous

but all-consuming London fashion world,

move to the coast to be with Juan, and take a job as an Estate Agent.

Since I was 12 I wanted to be a fashion designer.

It was a difficult decision to make, especially for me.

-Sorry.

-It's all right.

After the sacrifice Alice made for their relationship,

her doting husband-to-be is determined to give her the Christmas wedding of her dreams.

It meant a lot to me that she came down here,

sacrificed her fashion goals, she deserves something epic.

We're approaching Christmas

and I want it to be the fairy tale ending to the year.

He may mean well but when it comes to surprises, Juan's track record isn't great.

Alice's last birthday present involved a different sort of ring.

When you're expecting a nice dress or jewellery,

Juan's really excited about it and it turns up in the post and it's boxing gloves

and you've never boxed before.

It was a real "why-have-you-bought me-these" moment.

Birthdays are one thing, but for her Christmas wedding,

Alice expects nothing less than an absolute belter.

This is what you're going to get if you mess the wedding up.

It's important for me to be classy and stylish and demure. They would be my three key words.

Classy, stylish and demure is exactly how Alice

would like her Christmas tree, if they can agree that is

What about the tinsel?

Really? Tinsel's like for dancing at the Christmas do.

I'm really concerned that what will come out is complete tat.

So how does Juan plan to give his classy,

demure bride her dream Christmas wedding?

Is that an it'll-be-all-right face?

-"It'll be all right."

-It'll be all right.

-It will be all right.

-It WILL be all right.

It better be all right.

It'll be all right

The ideas that I've got, she's never going to guess.

Growing up she's told me that she read Alice In Wonderland

because her name is Alice, basically.

I can't think of anything more epic than an Alice In Wonderland wedding

A themed wedding day would be my worst nightmare.

It's time for the couple to say goodbye

Gonna miss you.

-I love you so much.

-I love you too.

Make it work.

Look after yourself.

The next time they see each other will be on their wedding day, a few weeks before Christmas.

For the girl who moved away from her friends and family,

being apart for so long is almost too much to bear.

It's hard. I just know I'm going to miss him so much.

The first stop on Juan's journey to Wonderland is two miles

down the coast at the home of lifelong friend and best man James.

-How's it going?

-Good to see you mate.

-How you doing?

-Yeah, pretty good.

Also pitching is second best man, and best buddy, Ian.

-Are you ready?

-I guess so.

It's time to let Santa's little helpers in on the big idea.

I just want to make sure that this wedding is off the Richter scale.

I want to do this fairy tale ending capturing the winter Christmassy...

What I'm thinking, in Central Park in New York,

there's actually a big Alice In Wonderland statue.

So it's going to be an Alice In Wonderland wedding fairy tale wedding

in New York, that's what I'm going for.

-Amazing, blatantly amazing

-I'm glad you said that!

I was thinking you were going to go, "No, that's not going to work."

Do you reckon that will be good.

It's brilliant.

I've never been there. It looks mega!

Let's go to New York! New York!

Cheers.

Juan's heart's in the right place -

but what do the boys really know about Alice's favourite fairy tale?

-Well, not much.

-Have you read the book?

-No?

-I've not read the book

I've not read the book.

I didn't really even know there was a book.

-I thought it was a Disney movie.

-Oh, Lordy! If they had read the book, then they'd know that

it's a bizarre tale about a young girl's trip into

a weird world of talking animals, tea parties and vicious playing cards!

It's got "demure wedding" written all over it.

-I've seen the cartoon when I was a kid.

-It's better than nothing.

All I know is that she gets really big then really small.

There's no wedding but there is a fat tea party.

I think you should go for that theme. With one long table.

We can get everyone round that one table

and it does become a tea party.

You've got like drink me, eat me, love hearts playing cards

Quite like psychedelic. Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Mad Hatter.

Weird and whacky

Make it big, pull out all the stops, make it visually amazing

and knock her off her feet.

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party has Juan grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

Sadly, it's nothing like the wedding Alice wants.

Since she moved to Brighton she's had her heart set on

the traditional South Lodge Hotel in Sussex.

Today she wants to show her mum and bridesmaids Hannah and Juliet,

her perfect venue for a cosy festive wedding.

Cheers!

ALL: Wow!

I love these chandeliers. I can imagine getting married in this room.

It's quite understated, but very beautiful. As quite a visual person I want the perfect wedding

I want the perfect flowers, the perfect everything.

-Look at the gazebo.

-It's very English.

Because I'm losing my surname England so I want it to be an English wedding.

An Englishman's home is his castle

But an English wedding for Miss England, couldn't be further from this groom' mind.

-I reckon you want to go from the 17th to the 20th.

-He's looking into flights for a wedding in New York.

If we budget 400 quid, that's worst case scenario.

-I think around 70 guests is the perfect amount for a wedding.

-Hannah's got a plus one.

Flying 70 people to New York would cost over £25,000.

With only £12,000 for everything Juan's planning something much smaller.

We need to work out how many people we can take,

who's not going to be too upset and whether we care!

Problem solved! Scrap 53 names off your guest list, you're down to 17 people.

Easy.

Do it. Book these flights.

Let's not even think about it let's just put it to the back of our minds.

So on his first day of wedding planning, Mr "Oh it'll be

"all right" blows over £7,000 on 17 flights, leaving

him just 5,000 to pull off the wedding of Alice's dreams.

-that's well loads of money.

-He'll send Alice

and her mum to New York three days before the wedding,

under the pretence that they're on a hen-do.

The rest of the guests will arrive the day before the ceremony.

Ever heard of jet-lag?

Are you still feeling confident about it?

I think you just got to be really quite cheap.

Do you think I'm a bit mad doing this?

-It'll be different.

-Different?

With the mad hatter planning the wedding, Wonderland could be

in danger of becoming the nightmare before Christmas.

It's the end of week one, and having spent the last week doing absolutely

on the wedding, the boys are, at least, finally heading to New York.

It's getting well exciting.

Juan can only afford to take one best man with him

to make all the preparations in New York, so it's up to

26 year old full-time gardener James to pitch in.

No regrets

-We're too far down the rabbit hole, James.

-They're way too

far down the rabbit hole, and without a shovel in sight.

An eight-hour flight and taxi ride later, and the boys

are in in New York, There's only two weeks till the wedding and

they've done no research, but I'm sure Juan's got Alice on his mind.

That is the biggest rack I've ever seen,

It's like 20-foot boobies on a board That's amazing!

And that's not all that's big

The roads are big the cars are big.

You literally can't see the top of the buildings.

Finally on top of the Empire State Building they get the "big" picture.

Basically, we do need to get down there at some point

and sort out a reception venue, a ceremony venue

and a wedding dress, we got a lot of stuff to do.

On the eighth day of wedding planning,

Alice's true love is in Central Park.

He's looking for the ceremony location he's had his heart

set on from the start.

This statue of Alice was the sole inspiration

for flying 3,500 miles across the Atlantic.

-Big, isn't it?

-Massive, yeah.

It's in your face and a bit cheesy, isn't it?

Shame he's spent seven grand on flights for a statue he doesn't like.

-I don't know. I think it's too much.

-I definitely wouldn't want to get married here.

It's... It's crawling with kids.

But I'm torn, because this whole trip to New York has been because of this,

but do I want to use it in the wedding?

-I don't know.

-Maybe a photo?

The statue might be ruled out, but getting married in the park

is free, so the boys have no choice but to keep exploring other options.

It's pretty fairy tale here. Belvedere Castle.

This hits the nail on the head for fairy tale.

That is well fairy tale.

The castle is a 19th-century novelty tourist attraction.

This turret is proper fairy tale, isn't i?

It's tiny inside - a ceremony would have to take place in the courtyard.

I think it's really nice.

Where else could you go and get married in a castle?

I know its only a little castle, but where else can you get

married in a castle for next to nothing?

And that's the venue sorted.

Juan's demure bride will be married outdoors, in winter,

beside a novelty castle crawling with tourists. Should be fine!

As long as it doesn't rain.

In Brighton, Alice's mum Sue is taking her fashion-conscious daughter on a trip down memory lane.

I chose pink for the veil.

-And the dress is white, yeah?

-And the dress is white, yes.

Did you enjoy going for your dress?

-Was that a big part of it?

-That was exciting. Yes.

That's the frustration. You've been dreaming of your dress for so long...

..and I'm never going to get the opportunity to pick what I would have wanted.

For me, that's quite a lot to sacrifice.

It is really winding me up now.

It'll be all right.

It's just hard.

While the former fashion designer realises just how much she's given up,

in New York, Juan's realising how much he's coughed up.

Having spent over £2,000 on accommodation for the guests,

the financial reality of a wedding in New York is starting to bite.

Cheers.

-Basically, we're half way through now, aren't we?

-Yeah.

We've only got a few days to do everything else.

-It's just money, isn't it?

-Shall we have a count up?

6,875... About £9,500.

We've got 2,500 to do the wedding.

-It's a lot less than we thought we would have.

-Definitely.

Out of that, we've got to get the venue, all the food, the dress.

-It's not enough money, is it?

-No.

-At all.

Tweedledum and Tweedledee are deep down the rabbit hole now.

Oh, well.

Yeah.

There's nothing we can do.

-We'll budget Alice's dress down.

-I think we have to skimp on everything.

It's not going to be nearly as good as we thought it would be.

Well...yeah.

With only £2,500 left to buy everything for wedding,

morale is at rock bottom.

I talked about at the beginning I didn't want to do a half-arsed attempt

at doing a fairy tale wedding,

and I'm worried that that's what it'll turn out to be,

purely because we've got no money to spend on things.

We're just going to have to skimp on lots of things and cut back

and it might just be more of an average wedding.

All I've done after a week and a half is plan 16 holidays to New York.

Now I've got to plan a wedding.

With less than a week to go until the big day,

fashion graduate Alice is visiting a high-end bridal boutique -

exactly the kind of thing she expects from Juan.

It's lovely but it's quite plain

and I'm not a fan of this sort of...tuck in.

I'm hard woman to please! I'd like a long dress.

Definitely, so I can swish around and feel like a princess.

So this is one decision Prince Charming can't get wrong.

Juan can't afford a high-end Manhattan boutique.

He's looking for a Alice In Wonderland dress

in a budget bridal shop in Chinatown.

Bridal dress shopping here is not exactly the boutique experience Alice is thinking of.

With no window display or dresses on show,

Juan only has pictures to choose from.

You pick what you like, write it down, and I'll get it for you.

-That's a good way of doing it.

-It's a bit like a catalogue shop.

But for wedding dresses.

In Chinatown.

-It's a well good way to do it.

-They seem to have a lot on there.

If you went into shop... I mean, I've never been in a shop, but I imagine it would take you for ever.

Juan's looking for an Alice in Wonderland-style dress.

Sadly, he has no idea what that actually looks like.

-Have you got a rough idea?

-I think so.

Not like, poof, like that, but kind of, prrrr.

-OK.

-Do you know what I mean? Yeah

-You know what I mean.

-They haven't got a clue, is what they mean.

In Brighton, after an hour of looking, Alice has finally found something

worthy of trying - an ivory full-length vintage dress.

But the fussy fashion graduate is still not convinced.

It's not the one. I'm not wearing it and thinking, this is the one.

Probably, if I had my scissors and needle, I might take this bit off and...

don't really want that bit there.

If I had a veil, I'd want it to be some crazy kind of...hat veil.

-That is very Alice In Wonderland.

-It's almost exactly the right blue.

If you go bold you'll either get it really right or really wrong.

Mm.

But I think I need to take that risk.

I don't think I'm going to go for something really plain, because I know that Alice wouldn't like that.

-I'm shaking, so therefore...

-Oh, she must like it.

Ohh!

That's beautiful!

Alice's dream dress is a strapless full-length traditional gown,

with hand-woven embroidery and a lace train.

It's the one.

I love it. I want to take it home and sleep in it.

It's absolutely perfect.

Oh, this is horrible.

-It's harder than I thought it would be.

-Not for the Mad Hatter!

He's spotted one he likes after just 12 minutes of looking.

I quite like that. It's quite different.

Yes, it is quite different.

I think its quite Alice in Wonderland and Alice has got some great pins, so may as well show them.

It is pretty.

Juan has his eye on dress number 1576.

Luckily, it's in stock...

out back in a bin.

That's what you expect.

-That's really nice, isn't it? I really like that.

-It's good.

Legs out and everything

I feel so classy and elegant in this. It's rare for me to say that about anything, but it's perfect.

Grrr. I want this one!

Well, you're going to get THIS one, if it's within Juan's dwindling budget.

It's 525.

-525?

-Yeah.

-Really?

-Yes.

That's £340. Bet he likes the sound of that.

That's well good. I'll take one of them.

I like the idea of showing a bit of leg.

-I think she'd look bang tidy.

-Really? The girl who wants demure, elegant and classic

is getting a wedding dress with a see-through lace bodice,

plastic encrusted diamantes, a huge bow and a cut-away skirt.

Bang tidy, indeed!

I really like that. It's really nice.

So lucky you had that picture up, or I wouldn't have seen it.

Lucky, lucky, lucky.

It's definitely not Alice's £2,000 dream dress.

There is no way in a million years that Juan would get me a head piece like this.

I feel like Sarah Jessica Parker. I need a nice white dove.

She may feel like SJP,

but Juan's dress is less Sex And The City, and more sex in a cheap motel.

So to really class it up, he's adding three glittery butterflies,

a garter and a wand, costing a grand total of £360.

The lady said most people take a year to pick their wedding dress.

How long did it take us? About 12 minutes?

Probably about 12 minutes.

-Like you say, you know when you like it.

-When you know, you know.

-Yes.

That was well good.

Despite a free ceremony at a castle in Central Park and a cut-price dress,

Tweedledum and Tweedledee have just over £2,000 left in the budget.

Nevertheless, the boys are heading over to the trendy meat-packing district

to see a potential venue for the Mad Hatter-inspired reception.

-How are you? I'm Dan Fehlig.

-Juan.

-You're the groom?

-Yes.

-I'm James.

You're the helper. Does that mean you're the maid of honour?

Maid of honour, that's it!

They're meeting designer Dan Fehlig, who runs a corporate events and wedding caterers

from a fashionable gallery space.

Tell me some ideas. What are you thinking of?

My fiancee is Alice and I'm trying to pull together an Alice In Wonderland theme.

The Mad Hatter's tea party is the idea for the table and the dinner.

How fun is that?! Here's how we are different here.

We sit with the client - usually it's the couple -

we determine exactly what it is they want

and then build everything around them.

You get to come in and determine exactly where the tables are,.

exactly what the colours are, exactly how it's decorated.

It's a blank palette.

You have to use your imagination,

but, frankly, you're running down the road ahead of me.

We have a strong plan of how we want to dress it up.

This is New York - you can have whatever you want!

It's all available and you can RENT it all, so you don't have to spend a fortune.

We don't HAVE a fortune.

Dan's offering to fulfil all of Juan's Mad Hatter

catering and decor requests at a last-minute knock-down price

of £2,500.

It looks like the boys have found their Fairy Godfather.

You're asking what we can provide. We can help you do everything, but that would be cheating.

So, despite an asking price £500 higher than Juan has left in the budget,

he goes for broke, hiring a fairy godfather to grant his wedding wishes.

Now he has to work out how he's going to pay for it.

With rings, flowers, bridesmaids' dresses,

and more still to buy, Juan's thinking the unthinkable.

He must go cap in hand, and ask his wedding guests for money.

I haven't actually got enough money to pay the venue,

so I'm going to have to ask people if they can pay their way.

I think that's the realisation.

I don't know how I can do it otherwise,

without asking for some money back.

I do really miss her.

It's been hard, not being able to speak to her,

and just wondering what she's doing.

It's three days before the wedding, and Juan's budget problems

might be mounting up, but he's about to reach the point of no return.

His cunning plan to get Alice out to New York has kicked in.

Alice and mum Sue have been sent to the airport under the pretence

that they're off on a hen party overseas...

-I'm nervous

-..but they have no idea where they're heading.

-How are you?

-Very well, thank you. Nervous!

-Nervous wreck!

-Nerves?

-Yeah, I think so.

-So you're flying to New York today!

-That is a long way to go for a hen party!

-And get back.

-Empire State Building.

-I've got an excitement headache.

In New York, Juan's got a very different headache,

of the financial kind.

If he wants to give Alice a reception, he's going to have to beg.

-Today is judgement day, isn't it?

-Yep.

We've got to tell the families that they have to cough up, or they're not coming.

And, effectively, there is no wedding if they don't cough up.

Hmm.

He's asked Alice's dad and brother in Plymouth,

and his older sisters and mum in Brighton, to stand by for very important video call.

They have no idea what's going on.

-Hello Keith and Nick, future family-in-law

-..let alone that they're flying in three days.

Right, so this is the long-awaited invite.

Basically, the wedding is going to be this Friday.

Friday? Oh, my God!

The thing is, it's not going to be in England

What?

In New York!

Oh, my God!

It's not gone down well with everyone -

in particular, older sister Sophie.

Juan, can I just say, I've got my kids?

-You've got your kids?

-Yeah, so, what's happening?

-We'll have to work something out for somebody to look after them.

-So, they're not invited, then?

I couldn't invite everyone. We have spent the whole budget now.

It's a good job you don't work for me, going over budget to that extent!

I've still got quite a few things to pay for. The reason I couldn't invite everyone

is because each person has cost me £500,

and I was kind of hoping you might be able to help me out with that money.

No, you can get stuffed on that.

I mean, it's a pretty sweet deal really.

Basically you're going to get flown to New York.

You actually want five hundred pounds off each of us?

I kind of need five hundred pounds off each of you, yeah.

I haven't got five hundred pounds.

Bang goes Christmas.

Basically you guys are all flying in 48 hours.

-What?

-When?

-Thursday.

-But I'm moving house next week! I've got to exchange tomorrow!

Ohhhhhh...

What do you think, Keith, Nick?

Can we squeeze you for five hundred pounds each?

-It's a good deal.

-It's not a good deal when you haven't got money.

Yeah, but if you've already paid for them you're not going to get the money back anyway, are you?

-No.

-So if we don't give it to you, you're stuffed.

It's just Alice's wedding that you'll ruin, basically.

Oh, yeah, just put the pressure on us then.

We're sort of forced into it, then, aren't we?

We're going to need an answer out of you guys. Who's in for it?

Yeah, we're in.

Sophie?

-I don't know until I check my bank.

-OK. Magda?

I'll say I'm in, but you owe me big time.

OK. See you in New York!

See you in New York on Thursday.

Bye.

That went all right.

-Sophie...

-Was livid.

Sophie nearly disowned me.

It's a shock. Obviously I want to be there for him,

but I don't know if I'll be able to.

The grovelling groom's trans-Atlantic guilt trip

has put £4,000 back into the budget.

He now has six grand left, but only three days to spend it.

With the brides arrival imminent, Brighton's biggest kid

heads straight down the shops for some wedding essentials.

We're looking for a giant bunny costume.

Yeah, we have some, I'll show you.

And anything else you have that's Alice in Wonderland.

This is some sexier Alices that we have.

I like enchanted Alice. That's quite cute, isn't it?

The Mad Hatter's Hen Party ruse was just the first

in a series of surprises he's got in store for Alice.

Next on the shopping list

are props for the wacky Mad Hatter-inspired banquet

and they've got to be the cheapest in town.

We're trying to find a few bits of crockery and stuff.

We're doing an Alice in Wonderland wedding.

Oh, my God! Are you guys decorators?

We're not decorators, no.

I'm getting married, and basically me and my friend are planning the whole thing. We're organising it.

We've only got four days left, though.

Oh, OK! You didn't just start?!

We started three days ago. No, four days ago. Properly.

-To plan the whole wedding?

-Yeah!

-Are you serious?!

-How much is this?

-Can I give you a gift?

-Really?

-Yeah, for your wedding.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-That's really nice of you.

-It's really pretty, isn't it?

-It's gorgeous.

That's like a proper birdcage.

And you can take the whole thing off, fill it with flowers, and stick it back on.

-Three hundred.

-Thank you very much.

-Congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

Four birdcages and a bag full of second-hand crockery later,

and it's off to the reception venue to pay the Fairy Godfather,

and have him work his magic.

The bride-to-be and her mum

have landed in a wet and rainy New York

and they're not exactly full of pre-wedding excitement.

A trans-Atlantic flight for a hen party with her mum

has left Alice feeling a bit underwhelmed.

I'm not loving being in New York, I have to say.

It is a long bloody way to come for a hen party

and now I'm just so stressed out about how I'm getting home

and how tired I'm going to be for the wedding,

and I'm a bit upset about it all really.

-In theory, it's a lovely idea.

-It is, it's marvellous.

But in practice, it's the stupidest idea in the world.

With Juan's popularity at rock bottom, he couldn't have

picked a better moment to give Alice a taste of the Wonderland theme,

and let her know she's getting hitched in the Big Apple.

Oh, my God!

In three days' time.

"I have a message..."

-"You are formally invited..."

-Quickly!

"To your wedding this Friday..."

THEY GASP

You haven't got to go home!

Yes!

Oh, yes!

James!

I'm so excited!

I got to the point where I was like, "this is the most ridiculous idea in the world,"

but now I know it's happening here, this is the best idea in the world!

Alice is one happy bunny, and it doesn't stop there.

Right on cue, the bridesmaids have arrived

to make it a proper hen do for Alice.

You all look gorgeous!

Totally nuts. Totally beautiful.

I didn't realise he could be so flipping romantic. Stupid boy.

Against the odds, Juan's best-laid plans seem to be working,

but there's one more surprise.

Not bothering to check it out in person,

slapdash Juan has booked the girls into an apartment 150 blocks uptown,

in the notorious district of Washington Heights.

Oh, my God.

There's like one two three, there's four beds and there's six of us.

It's a fucking dive.

How are we going to get ready for a wedding in here?! It is what we're here for.

Imagine a wedding dress in here.

I can't believe he'd come to a place like New York

and not come and check places out before you put people in them.

-I want to go home.

-ALL: Aww! No!

Are you all right? Aww.

It's not good enough, and it's got to be sorted out,

so one of you's going to have to ring Juan and just be like, "What are you going to do?

Hello?

-Hi, Juan.

-Oh, all right, Emily, how are you doing?

I'm just going to start off by saying like the simple fact

that there's one double bed, one single bed, and there are six of us.

Right.

Also, the area, it's not the safest, and we just don't feel very secure around here.

And something needs to be done, like, straight away.

Er...I don't really know what we can do.

Tell him it's supposed to be my hen do tonight and because of all this I'm not going to get one.

It's supposed to be her hen do tonight, the proper one, and at this point we're not really feeling it.

There's no real point to it.

Well, it's Harlem, basically.

I just had to turn away cos she's like crying.

This is your future mother-in-law and your wife.

Do you really want to start off with this kind of situation going on?

At the moment we're in the middle of New York, so I don't really know what to do.

We'll have to go back somewhere where we can figure something out.

If we start looking for something and we find something, what are we working with?

Why didn't he stay in Brighton, if he couldn't afford it?

We've got £2,500 left, that we haven't paid,

but that'll mean that we can't have a venue,

can't have a cake, can't have flowers, all that sort of stuff.

So there won't be a wedding, basically, if we use that money.

He's saying they've got two and a half grand left, but that means

there won't be a venue, a cake...there won't be a wedding.

What the fuck are we supposed to say to that?

-What are you waiting for?

-They're talking to each other.

The woman who rented it knows how many people are staying, doesn't she?

Yeah, she knows. Yeah. I mean, I booked it for...

I booked it for five, even though it was for six.

Because Alice's mum's only there one night.

Can you try and sort that your end,

-and get back to us as soon as you can?

-Yeah.

-Thanks.

Right. So basically if we don't sort it out, they're going to go home.

It's a fucking nightmare, this is.

Juan had good intentions,

but his organisational skills have let him down.

He's heading back to the hotel to try and find some new accommodation.

But it's too late. The girls take matters into their own hands.

I'm not bothered about having a hen party - I'm too tired and pissed off.

We need to get tonight sorted out.

-Then they have tomorrow to deal with this.

-Yeah.

Using the money from the cancelled hen party,

they book into a hotel downtown.

What should be Alice's dream wedding has had a nightmare start.

I think it just really sucks when you hear that Alice and her mum are crying.

It was down to me to book the accommodation, so it's my responsibility. Yeah.

It's the day before Juan and Alice's fairytale New York wedding.

After last night's debacle, Juan sorted out

the remaining accommodation, and in the spirit of the season,

Alice has decided to forgive him.

He should have gone and looked at these places.

But I could get angry about it, but what's the point?

What's happened has happened, we've sorted it out now,

I'm getting married tomorrow, and I just...

Fingers crossed that dragging everyone out here is going to be worth it.

A major step towards making things worth it would be a happy bride.

Now Alice is in Chinatown to see the Wonderland-themed dress

Juan chose in just 12 minutes.

It certainly doesn't look like the kind of area you'd come to find a wedding dress.

The worst-case scenario is that I absolutely hate it.

For the girl who studied fashion, who gave it all up to be with Juan,

this is the moment she's been waiting for.

-Hello.

-Hi.

I just hope that something goes right today. Something has to.

Oh, God.

Oh my God, it's short!

-There's a train, but it's short at the front.

-Yes.

Cos he wants to see my legs, because he loves my legs. Brilliant.

We have something else for you. Accessories.

Surprise!

Yeah, surprise!

None of it's what I would have chosen at all,

and I would have thought he would have known that, but obviously not.

-I just don't know what to think.

-I hope he's done the right thing.

If she doesn't like this, it's just going to be like

-the cherry on top of everything, really.

-Yeah.

Don't worry about crying, girls, because it's so bad, it's funny.

What a twat.

Don't even pretend that it's nice.

No, it's not nice.

No, it's not.

What a monstrosity. It literally couldn't be worse, could it?

It's just..

It's like a pantomime special, isn't it?

Oh, dear.

I cannot believe how horrible it is. It's just tat.

I can't think of a better way to put it.

You can literally see my pubes.

No, but d'you know what I mean?

It feels like cheap toilet roll.

I'm not wearing this.

It's awful.

It's the one thing I wanted him to get right, and he's just taking the piss.

While the Wonderland-themed dress is plummeting to new depths of disappointment,

Juan's dropping in to see how Fairy Godfather Dan is getting on

with the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

Do you think we're going to have it ready by tomorrow?

Probably not.

Is he joking or not?

I don't think the bride would see the funny side.

No.

No...

Meanwhile, Alice has refused to wear the dress.

Without consulting Juan,

she is taking matters into her own hands again.

What's that one like?

Nope. Nope.

-Go back. That one.

-No way.

-Not like that one?

-No.

Eventually Alice finds something to try on,

but what are the chances of the fussy fashionista

finding a frock at this late stage?

I hope this one's going to be better.

If not, a few drinks.

I could do with one now.

GASPS

I look pretty!

That's lovely.

I look pretty!

I love it. It's gorgeous.

-Do you feel happy in that?

-Yeah.

Oh, that's lovely. It's a bit different, isn't it?

I still look like a princess.

Let's see the back? Look at it!

-Look at the buttons.

-Wow.

-Do you love it? ALL:

-Yeah.

-Do you love it? I love it.

It is pretty, isn't it?

Cos that's what I want. I want people to go "ah!" not "..oh."

Do you know how much this is?

-Same price.

-It's the same price?!

If he could choose that over this, he is an idiot!

Full on.

I can't believe he would have put me through all that.

And this is exactly what I said all along, like...

I just didn't want him to try and have like a massive joke and take it so far that it wasn't even funny,

and I already know that's exactly what he's done.

I feel pretty...let down.

Obviously I'm quite upset.

I just...

I think being flown halfway across the world

makes you think that you're going to get something absolutely spectacular

and I just don't feel like that's the way it's going to go.

We've had so many ups and downs

and so many things go wrong since we got here.

We've really had no time to stop and sleep

and kind of think about what's going on and all of a sudden,

it's kind of hit me that I'm getting married tomorrow

and I'm just going to have to realise that it's not going to be

the kind of demure, classy wedding that I'd hoped for

and it's going to be just a little bit more of a pantomime.

SHE SNIFFS

It's the morning of Juan and Alice's big wedding in the Big Apple,

and it may not be a snowy winter wonderland,

but at least the sun is shining.

At her new improved accommodation,

Alice is about to get her first surprise of the day.

-Hello!

-Hi, how are you? I'm Adam.

-Hello, Adam. Why are you here?

-I'm here to do your hair.

-Really? Oh, wow!

Despite Juan's best intentions, he's made a string of bad decisions.

I get hair!

So, he's been wise to let Alice take control of her own hairdo.

Oh! I'm happy you're here and you're just doing something nice.

THEY LAUGH

Yesterday, I felt there were too many minuses.

I went to try my wedding dress on and it was...

I didn't even know they did wedding dresses this horrible.

Downtown and with only a few hours until the wedding,

Juan and freshly-arrived best man Ian

still have some last minute errands to run.

-How are you?

-How's it going?

-Good, man.

-The day of, huh?

He still has to finalise transport details,

or Alice will be walking through Central Park

and be exhausted and possibly mugged.

She'll be in a wedding dress, so you should be able to see her.

Standing there shivering.

Looking like, "What the hell's going on?"

Back at the new apartment,

Alice is getting a few things off her chest.

I know now that this wedding isn't anything close

to what I would have wanted.

It's going to be his and it's going to be crazy

and it's probably going to be disgusting.

It's going to be like, erm... Disney World!

To be fair, it has been a bit Mickey Mouse.

But we've come this far. We're not backing down.

Over in Central Park, the guests that have paid £500 each to get here

are being shown to Belvedere Castle.

Everyone's made it, including Juan's older sister Sophie.

It truly is the season of goodwill to all men and mad hatters.

Even if the mad hatter in question has just fleeced you for 500 quid.

Back at the apartment, Alice is about to set eyes

on Juan's wonderland bridesmaids dresses.

We don't hate them.

It's a million miles better than I thought it was going to be.

-Definitely. Definitely.

-They're nice and the wedding dress was horrible.

How do you figure that out, you know? He obviously likes you more than me.

THEY LAUGH

And it seems all the stress to get Alice's dress right was worth it.

Awww. You look so pretty.

Alice may have got her classy princess dress,

but Juan has another surprise in store.

-This has just arrived for you.

-Are these my shoes?

-There's a note in there, as well, for you.

-Right.

Wear me.

Start your journey, wear me and hail a cab.

Yeah, I'll be there two hours late.

MOTHER LAUGHS

He is such an idiot!

Ow.

SHE WRETCHES

It's time for Alice to hit the street in her new shoes.

Juan's heart was in the right place

by asking Alice to take a taxi to the ceremony,

but the new apartment is over 60 blocks away

and it's rush hour.

Taxi!

Not the ideal way to start your trip down the aisle.

Woah, dude! They're always off duty.

After a show for the locals...

That's not it, is it?

..bridesmaid Jules finally saves the day.

Can we go to Central Park South and Avenue of the Americas?

As they crawl 100 blocks to Central Park through heavy New York traffic,

Juan's lack of organisation is beginning to tell.

I can't bear this!

It's all taking too long.

The guests have been waiting by Belvedere Castle for over half an hour

and it looks like the cold has gone to their heads.

THEY SING THE HOKEY COKEY

At the park entrance,

Alice finally gets transport befitting a princess bride

and the surprises keep on coming.

Juan has arranged for a Christmas gift to keep her warm.

Wow! Wow!

If someone had told me yesterday, on top of everything else,

that we were going to Central Park, I literally would have lost it,

considering what the weather was like.

But being here now on a day like today, at the end of the year,

it's, like...

..perfect!

Juan may have been lucky with the weather,

but the biggest risk was to give his bride a themed wedding.

Well, ladies. Now, we're going on another journey.

But he wants to show her that there was method to the madness.

Juan based the whole wedding around Alice's favourite childhood tale.

She's about to see his inspiration for coming to New York -

The Alice In Wonderland statue.

Oh, I'm going to cry.

Such a beautiful idea. It is.

It is such a beautiful idea.

-It's a themed wedding but it's amazing.

-Beautiful.

It's beautiful. It is.

Now, I get why he's chosen here.

The next leg of the tour takes Alice and Mum

through the park by rickshaw.

Wowsers, lets see if I can fit.

-So, what's happening now?

-Well, Alice, it's all a surprise.

Juan has arranged for them to meet up with Alice's dad and the bridesmaids.

Hello, Daddy!

And the mad hatter has one more Christmas gift in store

for his bride.

-We're not done yet. We have a beautiful pair of...

-Oh, my God!

What?!

What?

SHE SCREAMS

A pair of £700 designer shoes.

-They are beautiful.

-Wow.

-They're amazing.

-Oh, my God.

Now, I get why he went for the short dress.

But still. Oh!

She may never forgive him for that dress,

but perhaps Juan has finally proved he's got some taste after all.

The best shoes in the world!

-I've got the best shoes in the world. Literally.

-They're amazing!

-Aren't they?

Finally, after three weeks that have been more nightmare than fairy tale,

the style queen bride is ready to walk the best shoes in the world

down the aisle to her groom.

Now, Alice, it was Juan's dream to give you a fairy tale wedding,

here at Belvedere Castle in the Park.

Even though you may feel you've fallen down the rabbit hole...

Oh, yeah.

..this is all very real and what makes this day real

is Juan's love for you.

-I, Juan, take you Alice...

-..to be my wife.

..to be my wife.

-To have and to hold...

-To have and to hold...

-..from this day forward.

-..from this day forward.

I, Alice, take you Juan...

-..to be my husband.

-..to be my husband.

To have and to hold...

-It's all right.

-To have and to hold...

THEY LAUGH

-..from this day forward...

-..from this day forward...

..to love and to cherish...

..to love and to cherish..

-..now and forever.

-..now and forever.

-Alice, take this ring...

-..as a sign of my love...

..as a sign of my love and faithfulness.

We'll get you one that fits later.

LAUGHTER

Juan, Alice, here in the heart of New York City,

in the presence of these witnesses,

I pronounce, by the authority of the State of New York,

Juan, Alice, you are now married.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I love you. Perfect.

I love you.

I didn't think it was going to happen...yesterday.

In fact, I wondered if Alice would turn up, because of the dress.

Do you like it?

Wow, yeah, that's mega, isn't it? How did you manage to get that then?

This is from the same shop and it was the same price.

Changed the dress, I noticed.

Yeah. Yeah, apparently she didn't like that first one.

Ah, I know you meant well.

He's done so well, it's so beautiful up here,

even if it's a little bit cold!

The boy's done good.

BOTH: And the shoes!

It feels like an eternity.

It's nice to have you back.

Juan has somehow pulled off a fairytale ceremony,

but he thinks the best is still yet to come.

So it's time for the bride, on her special day,

to head to the reception in a carriage...

on the New York subway.

Well, the cash for those designer shoes had to come from somewhere!

As the final surprise looms,

will Juan's Alice In Wonderland reception

be anything more than a gaudy nightmare?

Oh, my god!

Juan!

Its spectacular!

With considerable help from fairy godfather, Dan,

Juan has pulled off the impossible -

a New-York chic take on the Lewis Carroll fantasy tale.

You're going to make me cry.

-You ain't seen half of it yet.

-Oh, my goodness, it's amazing.

-This is the cake.

-Oh, wow, it's beautiful.

Look who it is.

Alice and Juan!

It's me and you!

Look at me!

Room One is a winter wonderland

complete with candlelit snowy forest,

and spotlit Alice-inspired wedding cake.

Oh, Juan, this is so beautiful.

A step through the looking glass

takes Alice into room of floating candles and snowfall projections.

-They're like the chessboards...

-I can see!

..from the Through The Looking Glass.

This is so couture and so amazing.

And of course, The Mad Hatter's Tea Party table.

It's beautiful.

A Banquet table complete with Queen of Heart tarts

and hanging teapots pouring flowers into stacks of crockery.

Me and James got these birdcages from a flea market.

I cannot believe you got this so perfect.

You got the dress so wrong but you got everything else so right.

-I think it looks cool.

-It's perfect.

-I'm glad you're happy with it.

No, it doesn't look cool. It is epic.

The word is epic. It is epic!

Looks like he spent the money wisely after all.

This IS the best day of my life.

Yeah, it's the best day of my life as well.

About time!

It's amazing!

With Alice utterly enchanted by her wonderland theme,

it's time to get the party started.

It's beyond amazing. It's impossible, it's fantastic.

Look at the teapot!

Mr and Mrs Bonin!

WHOOPING AND CHEERING

There's still time for one last surprise for Alice -

her favourite dish.

Fish and Chips!

You can't go wrong with fish and chips.

Unless your caterers are American,

and they've confused chips with crisps. But never mind.

24 hours ago, Juan was nothing more than a frog to Alice,

but having pulled off a fairytale wedding

for the girl that gave up everything to be with him,

he's now truly Prince Charming.

I think you've done the most amazing job.

-Yeah.

-I'm so proud of you I couldn't be happier.

The dress was so bad yesterday that I thought,

"This is my worst nightmare."

I hated you a little bit for what you did to me yesterday

and I thought, literally,

it was so bad I thought you'd done it for a joke. It was pretty bad.

I was trying my bestest. Sorry.

I think we've been through so much just to be with each other.

I couldn't have wished for more from you.

You've done so well, Juan, I'm so proud of you.

-It is the best wedding ever. EVER.

-Good.

I'm so proud of you.

It looks like it'll be a very, very Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, darlings.

# The boys of the NYPD choir

# Were singing Galway Bay

# And the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day. #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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