Terry and Melissa Don't Tell the Bride

Don't Tell The Bride Celebrates weddings like no-one else.

Congratulations on your big day.

-From New York...

-Ohhhh!

-..to Glasgow!

-Oh my God.

Las Vegas.

Why would the man I love do this?

To Ibiza.

I can't even plan a wedding.

And one unforgettable roller coaster ride.

Why the hell are we at Thorpe Park on my wedding day?!

And now we're back as 12 more unsuspecting brides prepare for the journey of a lifetime.

No freaking way!

The grooms get three weeks and £12,000.

Waaaay!

HE LAUGHS

And the brides get no say in how it's spent.

I'm trying my hardest to stay positive and I can't.

So, get ready to rock...

-I don't even want you at me wedding.

-..as the party reaches new heights.

And sinks to new lows.

SHE RETCHES

With more fairy tale endings than ever before.

Is this it? Is this all I get?

Tonight - Scouser Terry celebrates his Ghanaian roots...

by adding Africa to his wedding theme.

-I want an elephant on there.

-It's madness.

But his straight-talking Northern Irish bride...

-What are your nightmare themes?

-Just a theme in general is a nightmare.

..has her own vintage vision.

Ah, it's amazing. It's classical, it's elegant, it's traditional.

With friends and family far away...

-Hello?

-Now as you know, the wedding's a surprise.

It is? I didn't even know you were getting married.

-..and a groom who struggles with decisions.

-Sorry.

-Will it prove a jumbo-sized disaster.

-This elephant is reversing.

A bit of a nightmare is the biggest understatement ever.

Can this adventurous groom...

Oh, my God. No way.

..give this traditional girl...

I'm leaving it up to a male.

It's like I'm in a nightmare.

..the wedding of her dreams?

This wasn't what I envisioned or wanted.

Scouser Terry fell for Irish lass Melissa six years ago, when she was a student in Liverpool.

I just love everything about him.

I love that he's so thoughtful and caring and kind.

He'll always put other people before himself.

She is the life and soul of every party when she goes, she's fun.

Everybody loves here, all my friends, soon as you meet her, you've just got to love her straight away.

For love-struck Terry, it was definitely a case of lust at first sight.

-This girl walked passed and goes...

-"Hiya".

I didn't know who it was, but I was thinking, "Who is that?! She is tidy!"

She had these hot pants on.

This white shirt buttoned down to about here, red stilettos.

He didn't realise he'd met her before dressed-down, in their local library.

So a few days later, Melissa said, "I saw you in town and you blanked me."

I was like, "Whoa, was that you?!"

I suppose you were so used to seeing me in the library in my scruffs.

You still looked cute in the library, but you know...

This other girl in town was something else.

Terry was recovering from a life-threatening kidney transplant,

which had changed his outlook on life.

After my transplant, for me it was about enjoy your life, don't overthink everything.

Don't think too far into the future, so I was just like...bachelor pad.

You know, that independence and then Melissa totally derailed that plan totally.

Just eighteen months later, 34-year-old Terry proposed to Melissa,

six years his junior, on a romantic getaway.

Terry goes, there's something I really need to tell you.

He was genuinely really nervous and I thought

he was going to break up with me. He said he really loved me and got down on one knee.

I said, "What are you doing that for? Get back up!"

And then he took out this ring, I said, "What's that for?"

I think I stuttered over my words for a few minutes before I said yes.

Five years on, the couple have a four-year-old son, Mason,

as well as Terry's ten-year-old boy Reece from a previous relationship.

But they still haven't got round to tying the knot.

We haven't really got very far in any aspect of it because it ended up

in too much indecisiveness and disagreements and a lot of stress.

But we did know somehow someway we did want to get married that was the reason we got engaged.

-We just don't know how.

-The actual doing it has been a nightmare.

They did arrange a christening for Mason, but meticulous Melissa took charge of that.

I was the one doing all the organising, doing all the catering

and deciding what food we were having.

I had a vision of what and how I wanted it to be made and tried to do it all myself.

It was too much for me to take on, but I felt like I had to if I wanted to get it right.

And in this relationship they both know who's in pole position.

Let me see that jumper. Nah, that's not nice. I don't like it.

I need to control any situation or scenario.

So then I know it can only go my way and hopefully that way's right.

-They're lovely.

-No, they're too plain and I don't like colour and the leg cut.

It suits me Melissa wearing the trousers and me getting sign off

because I feel it shifts the accountability on to Melissa.

If I just went out willy-nilly made a decision on my own,

no sign off and it went wrong, I'd just never hear the end of it.

Good luck with that. Because now social worker Melissa wants

Terry to step up and plan the biggest day of her life.

This is the only way we can get married. I think we would stay unmarried otherwise because...

Or maybe worse, that's not an exaggeration!

When we have discussed the wedding and got to a certain point - which wasn't very far -

if we continued in this way, it would end up ruining relationship.

No pressure there then. Newly-qualified accountant Terry

will have to punch above his weight to pull this off.

Especially when his bride has her own dream wedding in mind.

My perfect wedding day would be an elegant and classy day,

very intimate with all my close family and friends.

A day where we can have lots of fun and just laugh and really enjoy it.

But Terry's a scouser with proud African roots.

I'm Ghanaian and that's important and I want to show the world, Melissa and all my friends.

That's who I am, that's where I'm from. I just want it to be

one of those where everyone's looking round going,

"Wow, he really pulled that out the bag. That's the best wedding I've ever been to."

I want her to go, "Terry, do you know what? You're crazy but, I loved that.

"I'd never have thought of doing a wedding like that - not in a million years."

But in this relationship, taking control doesn't come easily to Terry.

-What do I normally get?

-Terry, please, just make a decision.

I've never organised anything. I don't think I have even organised like a birthday party.

I am the sort of person who turns up and provides a bit of entertainment when I am there.

But haven't got a clue how to plan a wedding.

It's time for Terry and Melissa to say goodbye.

-How you getting on, babe?

-You know, I need a bin bag.

-Oh my God, I told you take a bigger suitcase.

For the next three weeks Terry will be staying with his best mate.

Melissa will have no contact with him until their big day.

Do you fancy your last little drink together before we're married?

Cheers. To the biggest day of our lives, the next time you see me you know where we'll be.

Terry's best mate and usher Leon will be helping with every detail of the big day.

You'll be all right. You'll be sound.

You'll be ok. It'll fly. It'll fly. It'll fly.

This is what it's all about. We wouldn't have got married otherwise.

I love you, babe.

-Try and be organised, yeah?

-I will do.

-I love you.

-See you soon, Mel.

-It'll be all right, you know?

-I know.

I just don't know how I'm going to cope without Terry for three weeks.

I'll feel really lonely tonight in bed because I'll be on my own

and I don't like sleeping on my own with no-one to talk to.

Seeing Melissa so upset there. I want an amazing wedding to wipe away the three weeks of missing me.

There's no way I'll let this wedding be a failure.

I'll make sure it works because both of them deserve it.

As a teenager Leon lived with Terry's family, making them more like brothers than mates.

But they're about to get even closer, living in Leon's cosy one bed flat.

Is this going to be my home for three weeks? Is this where I'm sleeping?

I give up my king-size bed with Melissa for this.

I must be mad.

Back home, Melissa hasn't stayed lonely for long.

Friends Kelly, Jackie and Heidi have come round to offer support...

And alcohol.

This is just going to be so hard for me. I trust Terry but I wouldn't

trust anyone doing my wedding. Not even Terry.

You've given up your control now. It's kind of too late now, isn't it?

I think as much as you can, you've got to drop your ideas of what you want and trust

he'll create something you'll love, even if it wasn't what you were thinking.

Every decision that I make, we are accountable for.

I like the way you accepted the "we". Where the buck stops.

We can't blame Melissa. She's had no input.

-There won't be mistakes made.

-That is the attitude. We started slipping negative.

There aren't going to be any mistakes made.

If he fails we're just going to kill him.

OK. Cheers to that!

They've only been apart an hour. But Terry's totally focussed on his first task.

You know, Melissa, Irish background, me Catholic. We're both Catholics.

It's very very important we get married in a church.

But Terry's not after just any church.

His heart's set on the one his family attend - St Anne's, just down the road.

Terry's known the priest, Father Peter, since he was a child.

Hi, Father, it's Terry here.

'Hello, Terry, how you doing, son?#

-Not too bad. The reason I'm phoning you is I'm getting married in three weeks.

-'Three weeks?'

I know it's very short notice but you're an important part

of our family and I'd love you to do it in St Anne's.

'Terry. we can't do that. We really can't.

'You, Melissa and I, we've got to meet together on a few occasions to get you married.'

Terry hadn't realised that, before a Catholic church wedding,

couples must meet the priest a number of times. Together!

The way it is I can't see Melissa for three weeks. I can't see her until my wedding day.

-Can't we talk separately, no?

-'I'm sorry, Terry, but there's no way, son.

-'You're welcome to come over and talk.'

-OK,

-Thank you, father. Thanks. Bye.

-'God bless.'

-That's massive.

That's awful.

I did not know that.

If you get married by a priest, you didn't know. It doesn't mean anything.

Step one, fail.

No, it's not fail.

It might not be a fail. But it's a setback of almighty proportions. And it's still only day one...

When I left Melissa what got me through it was that I'd deliver an amazing wedding,

and now, I don't think I can do that.

The next morning, and Terry isn't taking no for an answer.

He wants to talk things over with Father Peter...man to clergyman.

How you doing, son?

The idea is I'm meant to do this on my own without Melissa

and show her that the biggest day of her life - I planned it. It was a

success and all she had to do was turn up and enjoy the day.

It's very important to us, as we're preparing for marriage which is for the two of you,

these vital steps leading up to that occasion, that you do that together.

So the idea of me doing it at all on my own, it's a big dilemma for me.

Don't build your hopes up, but I'll take advice, eh?

I'll talk it over with some people.

We'll just see.

OK, thank you. thanks.

It was absolutely gutting, I don't know what I'm going to do to be honest with you.

I was hoping there was some way, somehow that Father Peter could do something miraculous,

but, it just looks like that's the end.

Blissfully unaware that a Catholic church ceremony hangs in the balance,

Melissa's back home in Northern Ireland. She's come with friend Leandra

to her dream church, St Aengus just ten miles from Londonderry where she grew up.

I've always wanted to get married in it and every time I pass it, "I want to get married in there".

It might not look much like St Anne's back in Liverpool,

but a Catholic wedding is just as important to Melissa as it is for Terry.

Yous definitely want married in a church?

Definitely. I couldn't see it any other way. That's the way I've grown up.

We're both Catholics, we've both gone to church all our lives.

So it's the traditional, religious way to do things.

'I'm just assuming in my head that we will have a church wedding,

'we will have a Catholic ceremony.'

I don't think it's a question of we will or we won't, it's a must,

and I think Terry sees it that way as well.

Terry and Melissa both want a church wedding,

but at the moment it's looking highly unlikely.

Terry heads over to see mum Charlotte

and older brothers Stephen and George,

who saved his life six years ago by donating a kidney.

After what they've been through, they're as devastated as Terry

that his dream wedding might not happen.

Father Peter's been a part of our family, you know?

My kids' communion...

Christenings, baptisms, confirmations.

I thought I'd just phone Father Peter -

"Hi, Father, we're getting married".

He goes "Oh, hi, son," like he always refers to me...

"Yeah, OK, that's cool. What day?" "That day, Father."

"OK, brilliant, see you there, son. Bye!" "Bye!"

He's laughing - "Failure's not an option."

I know he got that saying from you.

Then only 20 minutes later, a phone call,

and it's, like...the rug's gone.

I can't think past not getting married in a church at the minute.

It's just a must for both families.

Terry's desperate for a breakthrough.

Yes, Father. Yes, Father.

-There you go.

-Hi, Father.

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!

I'm always going to pray.

Father Peter says he's going to be able to marry me.

OK. You know what? That's the miracle I've been waiting to happen,

and now that's happened, right... we're back on track.

THEY SHOUT

Father Peter's come through. Boom! Yeah? Boom!

Yeah? Boom!

Do you know what? I'm always lucky. I'm always lucky!

I know you're going to pull it off.

In Ghana, they always say that the third born...

If you have three boys, the third one...

..is always the lucky one. What about the first born?!

What about the first born? What about the first born?!

It seems luck is in for the lucky third son.

Question is, will it last?

It's day two, and with the ceremony sorted for just £250,

Terry's focusing on the wedding reception and his big theme.

My journey for me is... I'm a Ghanaian Scouser.

That's the way I've been brought up. That's what's in my heart.

And for Melissa, Ireland's definitely in her heart, as well,

so the idea for me is it's a wedding celebration,

but I want us to be able to celebrate both these two cultures as well.

How are you planning to respect both cultures

and get them into the wedding?

I haven't got a clue. We go into the nitty-gritty about it all

Mine's going to be Ghana.

So, it's a Ghanaian-Irish-Liverpudlian wedding.

Easy...

Although Terry does have some fairly big ideas.

I know you'll think it's crazy,

but I want an elephant on there.

Like a miniature elephant?

No, a live functioning elephant.

That is the Ghanaian, and it's me, as well.

Yeah, but it's madness.

-Performers.

-Ghanaian performers.

-Dancers or something.

So that's Ghana covered, but what about Ireland?

Only think I know about Ireland is leprechauns!

Stereotypical!

Let's put it on, cos it is something she would see the funny side of.

I want her picked up in a limo. It's got the Ireland flags on there.

I'm really impressed with that.

Lucky Terry might need all the luck he can get with that list.

And so the boys set off to find an elephant,

in the dusty plains...

of Knowsley Safari Park, just between Manchester and Liverpool.

-When you think Africa, what animals do you think?

-I honestly think giraffes.

Giraffe. Elephant. Put them all on the list.

Oh, dear.

-Oh, my God, one of these has escaped.

-It's not escaped, they're allowed!

-OK, cool.

-I'm not really an animal lover.

-You never know what they're going to do.

Ah, shit!

But it just feels uncomfortable.

Terry's grand plan

is for him and Melissa to ride into the reception

on an elephant.

But a trip round the safari park's changed his mind.

If you're that scared of animals, are you sure an elephant's a good idea?

-Maybe I won't ride it, it'll just be Melissa.

-Yeah, you can just watch.

Oh, it's beautiful!

Totally unaware of the Elephant Plan,

Melissa's with Leandra just outside Derry, visiting her dream venue,

the stunning Drenagh estate.

I can envision that all the guests would be here first.

I would come up the really large driveway.

-In a vintage car.

-With a large vintage car, me and Terry, and it would be really exciting.

Well, vintage car, African elephant, what's the difference?

They both have a trunk!

-Oh, Melissa!

-It's beautiful!

This refined Georgian country house

is continents away from Terry's theme.

It's amazing!

This is so my ideal venue.

It's classical, it's elegant, it's traditional.

I know me and Terry know each other, but I don't think he knows, deep down,

what my preference or taste is in certain things -

cosmopolitan in my everyday life,

and I like nice, up-to-date bars and restaurants.

For my big day

that's not what I want.

I thin he would think this was a bit old and granny-ish.

It can be old-fashioned but classy, and that's the way I want my day to be.

MELISSA GASPS

Isn't this lovely?

Wow! And look at the views out the window, Leandra,

that really old type of window closure.

And I love the way you can't see anything for miles around.

You just feel really secluded, on your own,

and everything's really private.

I want it to be very personal to me.

Yeah. And if it doesn't have all them personal touches, Leandra,

I'm not going to be very happy.

In Liverpool, the pressure's on Terry to prove himself,

and he's feeling it.

The whole idea of this, for me, is I'm challenged with creating all this

on my own.

I want them to feel Terry's done an amazing job.

I'm hoping that every choice that he makes,

he has me at the forefront of them choices and decisions.

It's so important to get this right for so many people,

Melissa being the most important.

Hey, what about getting married at Anfield?

No.

But that's not up to you. I'm not marrying you.

-I know.

-Thank God!

-I was going to say.

-Yeah. That'd be great, y'know?

It might not be Melissa's ideal venue, but it would be mine!

I'm leaving it up to a male

to organise the biggest, most eventful day of my life,

that I'm always going to remember.

It's like a nightmare.

The boys are on the hunt

for a wedding venue on which Terry can stamp his theme.

And nothing says "Africa"

like the Isla Gladstone Conservatory in Liverpool.

Impressive, mate. Wow.

It's lovely. I like it.

The drinks are going to be flowing. Y'know?

You get the heat, though, when the sun's out.

The boys love it. And in here it's as hot as Ghana.

-You can dress it all, can't you?

-It's pretty much a blank canvas,

as you wanted.

This huge venue can hold up to 400 guests,

but injecting an African-Irish theme into such a big place

is going be tough.

It's a big space. We need to fill this space beautifully.

There's a lot to do.

It'll be a big, big task. We're talking about risk.

You're talking not a big task, a monumental task.

-That means cash.

-And it's going to be a big chunk of your budget,

just he decorating of this...

-It's daunting, actually.

-It is.

Terry will need to spend a sizeable chunk of his 12-grand budget

on transforming the venue.

It's time to play hardball with the price.

I'm looking to get married around the 7th, 8th or 9th September.

-That's the Friday to Sunday.

-OK. This year?

-This year.

-OK.

We haven't got the Friday available. We did, however, have a cancellation not so long ago,

so the Saturday is available.

-How much am I looking at?

-Food, drink, hire, everything?

-These pockets are virtually empty!

-OK, with it being short notice and with the cancellation,

the room hire is normally £3,000 for the day, but we could look at waivering that for you.

So you would be looking at just the food and drink costs,

probably looking around £40, £45 a head.

Actually, I feel cheated a bit, Mandy, cos I wanted to bargain you down.

So could we pretend that you...? But, Mandy, that sounds amazing.

-Today's been one of the better days, hasn't it?

-A very good day today.

Incredibly, the boys have bagged the venue for absolutely nothing.

But Terry sets aside £4,000

for food and drink for his 120 guests.

-Four to five grand is a big chunk. It's nearly half the money gone!

-It is.

We haven't talked dress. Don't even know how much that's going to cost.

In Northern Ireland, Melissa's back in Derry,

where son Mason's staying with grandparents John and Teresa

and Melissa's younger sister, Katherine.

As if Terry wasn't under enough pressure already,

the wedding's sure to be a big event in this household.

-Are you looking forward to getting your first daughter married off?

-I'm looking forward

to having my first son-in-law!

He's going to be the benchmark for the rest of them.

We're not going to be able to beat that. It's not on.

For Melissa, the reality of Terry planning

her big day is sinking in.

I know that it won't be my ideal wedding day,

cos I won't necessarily get what I want

if Terry doesn't pick what I like.

And when I don't get it like that, I'm not very happy.

So I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the minute that I've got no say in anything

and no control over anything and that things aren't going to go my way.

This is the one time in your life you've no control over anything.

And it's total trust on your part with Terry, total trust.

Would you have let my daddy sort your wedding day out?

I don't think so.

Ah, Mummy, yous look gorgeous.

Your wedding seemed quite classy and elegant as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing your wedding album in a few weeks' time.

So am I.

It's really sad. I can't believe I'm getting married.

It's really serious now, isn't it?

It's like it reality now, instead of just thinking about it.

Isn't it? Definitely is.

But you couldn't get anybody better than Terry.

He's a good, good fella. Isn't he?

I'm getting more emotional as it gets closer.

Losing control of the wedding means that the reality of getting married

is only just dawning on Melissa.

In my eyes, I said yes to an engagement but not quite a marriage.

Part of me still feels not quite ready, if you get what I mean,

like I don't really feel ready to be a Mrs

and I don't really feel ready to take his name.

But I suppose that's just the emotions I'm going to go through over the next few weeks

until it kind of sinks in that I'm going to be a married woman

and I'm going to have a husband

and this is the next step in our lives, in our relationship.

It's the end of week one

and determined to fill his vast, empty reception venue,

Terry's on the hunt for some African-themed table decorations.

I don't know if this is African or more Oriental.

It could be either.

-It's a bit aggressive.

-It's not really African. It's just cool.

I like these. The whole elephant thing.

I might do this as my first purchase.

Across town, Melissa's with friend Natalie

getting her nails done for the big day.

What are your nightmare themes?

Just a theme in general is a nightmare.

I don't want a themed wedding.

I just want a normal wedding.

What about these?

They'll just look nice about.

Could we have a giraffe on each table?

Lucky Terry's determined to haggle everything down to a bargain price.

I'll negotiate. I'm going to tell him we haven't got much money.

I've seen a lot of things that I like. Can we work out a deal?

But it's a charity shop.

TERRY LAUGHS

Even though he's in a charity shop,

bargain hunter Terry is still after a freebie.

I might get these, get him to throw these in.

Come on, it's a charity shop...

I know. Not throw them in. I mean...

-throw them in at a discount price.

-This is all right.

-OK? Yeah?

Freebie? Boom. See? Told ya.

-120, 165, 175... Yeah?

-Plus 55.

230...

Can you do 210?

220.

220's a deal, then. And thanks for the shades.

Did they look cool?

So Terry forks out over £200 on a bag of knick-knacks

to fill his vast, empty venue

Still, at least he got £10 off.

Even if the price is right, I want the price to be righter!

You know what I mean? I want some kind of discount.

Well, you might want that, but what does Melissa want?

A normal nice wedding.

Classic, elegant and traditional with a lot of personal touches.

Vintage. Elegant. Yeah, that's it.

OK, got that Terry?

Everything's still there.

She said elegant not elephant!

-Have we actually ticked anything off?

-No, nothing.

TERRY LAUGHS

With less than two weeks to go, aside from the venue and food,

all they've sorted is 220 quid's worth of African nick-nacks.

To pull off Terry's ambitious theme they need to get moving.

He's spending £200 flying Melissa's parents over from Ireland.

But there are 40 other Irish guests that Terry needs to

get to Liverpool without the bride finding out the location.

So he's come up with a plan.

And it's a complicated one.

Everybody from Liverpool and Ireland, I'm phoning them up, saying

I'm taking £100 or whatever for flights off everybody.

If it's going to be in Ireland you get your money back

but obviously if in Liverpool your flights are already paid for.

So they all pay 100 quid, but everyone in Liverpool

gets it back while everyone in Ireland loses out,

except they can't know that yet. Couldn't be simpler.

Well, it could obviously.

Confused by his own ruse, Terry rehearses his story.

Now as you know, the wedding's a surprise.

It is, I didn't even know you were getting married.

Sorry, start again.

You've lost it already haven't you.

To keep the wedding location a secret I'm going to have to ask

everybody from Liverpool and Ireland for a...

Hang on, I like that. "To keep the wedding location secret..."

First phone call. Hiya, Teresa, you OK? It's Terry.

I know Melissa's going to want her dad's four sisters and partners

She said... If you end up flying to Liverpool you get the money refunded.

If people from Liverpool end up flying to Ireland they get their...

Oh, sorry, I've got that totally wrong.

Whoops! Try again.

Hi, Sabrina, you OK?

Don't worry about me, it's all under control over here.

A bit of a nightmare is the biggest understatement ever!

And it's not just the flights that are giving Terry nightmares.

The short notice is also causing problems for Melissa's guests.

Louise and Sam you said they're definitely not coming, didn't you?

Bye.

I'm hating the fact that loads of them can't go.

Short notice and all that.

I'd hate it to be ten guests of Melissa's there, 80 of mine.

Oh!

This bit doesn't feel nice at all.

It's not nice.

The whole guest list bit's been stressing me out because

a lot of her family can't make it.

Getting her family and friends over here is key to making her happy.

All the aunts and uncles pretty much can't make it.

Some of her mates are nearly saying, "I might not be able to make it,

"I can't get the day off," or whatever.

I'm saying, "You need to have the Saturday off at least,"

and they're like, "Oh, I can't get the Saturday off."

I'm like, "You do whatever you need to!"

These are really important people to Melissa.

Unaware of Terry's stress, Melissa still has high hopes for her wedding.

She's in Cheshire with mum Teresa, sister Stephanie and friend Natalie,

picking out the dress she'd choose for her dream day.

I want a nice ivory dress with a vintage look to it.

I've never quite been into fishtail dresses.

-What are we thinking here?

-No. I don't like the material.

It feels like your mum's net curtains, doesn't it?

Not me. Not good.

Mmmm, I really like this one.

It's got very elegant, lacy straps.

Look at the trail, it's gorgeous. I think it ticks all the boxes.

And if Terry wasn't under enough pressure already,

he's about to make the most important purchase of his life.

I'm the type of guy, as soon as I see it I'll know it.

I know in my head what I'm looking for.

But this isn't going to be as straightforward as he thinks.

You see, I don't know what that would look like on.

Hmmmm.

Can you have a bit of a boogie in that?

Yeah, that's all right, that.

THEY LAUGH

Shall we try the other ones on anyway so I can see? Is that OK?

It just comes in a little bit too much there.

-I don't think I like that shape.

-Too fitted?

Should have got more models and put on a wedding show,

the amount of dresses you're going through.

Are you volunteering yourself to help this process any quicker?

No, I'm not.

That's a proper wedding dress to me.

-You're saying too big?

-I think it's too big.

-You're so different.

-Sorry about that!

-That's fine.

-You going to be positive?

-If I like it I'll be positive.

-Be positive anyway.

While Terry struggles to find the one,

Melissa's fallen in love...

THEY SQUEAL

..with a vintage, ivory, £1,600 gown.

Gorgeous!

-It's gorgeous.

-Wow.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-It's your dress.

-It's lovely.

-Melissa, it suits you completely.

Nice and figured isn't it?

Love it.

I just hope Terry picks me something like this

because it's what I've got my heart set on.

It's fantastic. I love it.

I absolutely love it.

It's gorgeous.

This makes me feel special, it makes me feel confident,

it makes me feel like I want to be looked at.

And I'll be proud to be centre of attention that day.

-I think I like this one better than the other one.

-That is better.

It seems lucky Terry's lucked-out again,

and stumbled across a dress exactly like the one Melissa wants.

I think she'd really like that.

-Got a nice train on it.

-It has, hasn't it?

Now all he has to do is buy it.

I still want to try all the others.

Oh, so close!

I really like that.

Now Terry's got his eye on something completely different.

For me this is the one.

But he still hasn't quite made up his mind.

Can I get you to try the other one on just to make double sure? Sorry.

Do you know, I love that one. That is the one.

Do you know what...

I think that is definitely the one.

I know I said that before but that's definitely it. Definitely.

So Terry's plumped for a full-skirted, satin gown.

It's not vintage

and it's half the price of Melissa's dream dress.

I feel shaky.

I'm a proper bag of nerves.

I am a bag of nerves. This is torture.

I'm happy that I've tried it on but hasn't helped my anxieties at all.

Just trust him that he knows you.

I'm probably going to get...nice.

Probably going to get all right.

I'm probably going to get a dress that I'll be satisfied with at the most.

Do you want a hug?

No, I don't want nothing. I just want my dress.

Terry tried his best

but with just over a week to go, lots of Melissa's guests can't make it.

The Irish number started off at 45

but we knew that was really hopeful, a lot of people...

Yeah, ambitious to say the least.

A lot of people coming from Ireland to Liverpool,

so that's gone down to 21.

I was just scared it was going to be less than 20.

With less than half of Melissa's friends and family coming,

this will be a blow for the bride on her big day.

There are some that can't make it but a lot of the key people will be there.

I think she'll be happy and I think when she looks back

and sees the effort I've put in to try and make sure

as many as possible could come, she'll know I've tried my best.

That's not the only bad news.

One of Terry's biggest Africa-inspired plans has proved,

well, a bit too big.

I wanted to get Melissa to arrive on a elephant

and I've been looking into that massively.

Unfortunately that didn't pan out.

Really looked into it, apparently you can't do it in the UK.

So, he spends £650 on a novel alternative,

an old-fashioned sedan chair known as a palanquin.

Oh, my God, no way!

Melissa's not going to like this, I don't think.

Ah, she'll be all right.

And on a roll, he splashes out

£700 on a limo to take Melissa to the church...

Perfect, isn't it?

..£550 on African entertainment...

..and £150 on a much safer-looking elephant.

That leaves him with just over £1,000 and he still hasn't paid for

suits, bridesmaids dresses or hair and make up.

It's time for the hen do.

And after the stress of planning this wedding on his own,

Terry wants to put Melissa through her paces.

I need to make sure she was in good shape for the wedding

so I thought why not send her to a little boot camp?

-Hello?

-Are you Melissa?

-No. Melissa!

-What?

-There's someone at the door.

-Terry sent us, it's boot camp time.

CHEERING

I don't know why you're so happy, Tracey.

At the end of the day we've got to show men we're made of thicker skin.

Anything the boys can do, we can do better.

CHEERING

But for the boys, it's time for a well-earned break.

So we need to leave that on for a good 20 minutes there.

I was thinking about booking her for the girls

but they would have hated it.

They wouldn't have enjoyed just chilling here.

Don't want to be sitting on a windy beach,

doing exercise for my hen night.

It's like hell on earth.

Nice and easy. Stay together.

One minute. Knees up, stop cheating.

-I don't like ginger people.

-As quick as you can. Happy with that.

Oh, my God, Terry is evil.

Ah, this is boss, this, you know?

I haven't had a facial like this before.

Come on, let's go back to the start, let's go!

Come on, straight to the next one!

Keep going! 15 seconds, let's go.

-15 seconds.

-Hold on a sec!

Don't worry about it. Effort!

Still aching from the hen do and with just a few days to go,

Melissa's has some upsetting news about the wedding.

Heidi is on hand to lend her support.

-I found out today that my mum and dad are flying over from Ireland tomorrow.

-Right.

Which obviously tells me that the wedding's not in Ireland.

-It's in Liverpool.

-Right.

I'm not getting married back home so the chances are

I'm going to have a shortfall in my close family and friends on my big day.

Because you got Mason christened over there, didn't you?

And that's where I'm from. He always said we'd get married in Ireland.

Always, always, always Terry said we'd get married in Ireland.

And obviously he's gone back on his word and changed his mind.

I don't know the country or the city of Derry well enough

to be able to plan something there to a high standard.

And incorporate that Ghana and Ireland culture.

And I'd have to take Liverpool there then in a way,

and it would have been really difficult to do it there.

Organising a wedding in a different country is not an impossible task at all.

We've got e-mail, we've got phone.

It's so easy to organise things you know.

I'm just a bit gutted.

I'm more than a bit gutted.

The first thing I found out about my day.

This is the very first thing I found out and it's not what I wanted.

It's the day before the wedding and time for Melissa to see her dress.

Already disappointed that her big day won't be in Ireland,

she's hoping Terry's got this right.

There's a lot riding on this with regards to how it's going to make me feel on the big day.

I'm just really, really nervous and really scared.

She wants a vintage, ivory gown.

So what will she make of Terry's full skirted, satin dress?

Neither vintage, nor ivory.

I'm starting to get palpitations.

You'll be fine, you'll be grand.

-Shall we go through?

-Yeah.

If he gets this it's everyone happy.

It's got no lace.

It's got bling on it. I don't really like bling.

It's not vintage. It's oyster.

I wouldn't have chosen that dress at all.

-See how she feels about it.

-Yeah.

-It feels big.

-You need to look at it in the mirror.

-I feel like a big meringue.

-You don't look like a meringue.

It's too big.

-It's too big. It's got too much going on here.

-This is too...

-Do you not like it?

-No.

-I don't like it.

-It's thick material.

-There's too much going on.

You're meant to have elegance around this part.

This is just too much.

I don't like this. It's ugly.

I thought once I tried it on, I would feel it.

I'm not feeling it.

What's it about? I would have preferred if it was like...

I don't know. I don't know. I just don't know.

I'm not going to look forward to putting this dress on.

If she doesn't like it, she wouldn't walk down the aisle.

Do you want to see how it looks with the top of it fitted?

If you still don't like it, there's nothing else we could have done.

With the wedding tomorrow, Melissa's sister puts in an emergency call to Terry.

-Hi, Terry, it's Tracey.

-'Hi, Tracey.'

Does she like the dress?

Some alterations will have to be made to the dress

to make it fit on the top half.

Would you have money in the budget?

How much are we saying?

I'm not sure. I'll ring you back once we know.

-All right. Bye.

-Bye.

I'm a bit worried. I know Melissa well. I can imagine her going mad.

Will a few alterations be enough to keep meticulous Melissa happy?

-Turn round.

-This way?

-Yeah.

-This one down there.

-We're going to stitch inside here - give it an extra fold,

instead of a wide strap.

-I don't want a wide strap.

-It'll be an extra fold but it'll give it the pleat,

kind of carry on.

-That looks so much better.

-I'll accept that.

There's a smile!

-It looks perfect at the top.

-I'll take the dress.

I'm happy I can make the adjustments. That's made me happy about the dress.

She'll walk down the aisle with her head held high.

She'll be happy.

I hope Terry's got some money left in the budget

to pay for these alterations and if he doesn't, he'll have to find it.

SHE LAUGHS

It's the morning of the wedding.

Terry is busy turning his reception venue into an African-Irish extravaganza

for his theme-hating bride.

Six miles away, Melissa is getting ready and stress levels are rising.

I was fine until ten minutes ago.

Now I'm feeling stressed out.

Everyone seems unorganised.

The flowers have arrived!

-Amazing!

-Gorgeous!

Over at his mum's, Terry is beginning to have doubts.

The thing about Melissa is if she doesn't like something,

she can't hide it.

I'll know. She probably wouldn't give me a hard time

but I'll know by her reaction about it that she doesn't love it.

It's time for Melissa to see the coral bridesmaids' dresses

that Terry has picked for her three sisters.

MELISSA GASPS

Oh, my...GOD!

-You look gorgeous.

-Lovely. I love them!

-ALL: Good!

I love the shoes - they really go!

Yeah.

ALL: Oh!

-Let me see you.

-You're not going to cry, are you?

-No.

He looks like a small businessman.

LAUGHTER

I think you look like Alan Sugar!

Terrified of being fired, Terry's going through

a final checklist.

Phone calls, marriage certificate. Done.

Haircut. Done. Flower petals. Need to do. Flower baskets there. Cushions.

Do you know what? I'm proud of us!

I'm confident it'll go ahead without a hitch.

To get hitched but without a hitch!

With an hour to go, Melissa is finally ready to set off with Dad John.

With Terry finding £70 to make last-minute alterations to the dress,

John's not the only one who's happy.

-How do you like me?

-Beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.

Do you like it, Dad?

You look lovely.

It's lovely. You look beautiful as well, Daddy - you scrub up well!

Scrubbed up well. You scrub up well.

But what will they make of Terry's shiny black limo,

complete with both Ghanaian AND Irish flags?

Daddy, it's a limousine.

Well, not much, as it turns out.

Ugh, how tacky.

It's a limousine with massive alloys.

I feel like I'm going to a funeral.

I do, Daddy.

I don't like limousines.

Hiya.

Do you think a limousine's a typical car to go to your wedding in?

A limousine, yeah.

I think it's for a night out. I don't think it's classy and I don't think it's elegant.

This isn't what I envisioned or wanted.

It's not a great start but after five years of waiting,

it's finally time for Melissa and Terry to tie the knot.

Ah, the church and there's me bridesmaids!

It's not the Irish church wedding she dreamed of

but Terry's pulled off the next best thing in Liverpool.

I can't believe I'm getting married in St Anne's Church!

Melissa looks stunning!

You have come to gather in this church

so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love.

Now we make our marriage vows.

I call upon these persons here present...

..to witness that I, Melissa Marie Lindsay...

..to be my lawful wedded wife...

..to be my lawful wedded husband.

APPLAUSE

That was gorgeous. I'm so happy to see Terry.

Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! It's been so long!

It's been so long! Congratulations!

CHEERING

I can see it! I can see it!

It's got one of them horns! One of them funny horns!

Terry has even arranged something old for his vintage-loving bride.

Champagne! Yes!

To Mr and Mrs Mensah!

HORN TOOTS

I love the funny horn.

Where are we going now?

I really want to know. Give me a hint.

We are not having our reception here, are we?

Oh, babe!

Terry has another vintage transport surprise.

It's not the elephant he wanted but a princess' palanquin.

-Am I really going in that?

-You certainly are.

Oh, my God!

Do I sit in the cushion or...

Oh, no! I don't like it!

Two, three...

MELISSA SCREAMS

Sorry!

Am I all right?

I feel like a princess!

Melissa dreamed of a classic Irish wedding.

But handing control to husband Terry means she's arriving to this.

AFRICAN DRUMS PLAY

Groom Terry's donned a traditional Ghanaian outfit

and joined the African musicians and dancers to greet his bride.

CHEERING

AFRICAN DRUMS PLAY

Everybody clap your hands!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I am so happy.

It's amazing. They've put so much thought into it.

Just so much time. It's lovely. I am so happy.

IRISH MUSIC PLAYS

But it's not all about Africa.

Terry's got a surprise for his Irish girl.

CHEERING

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The crowd loved it. Everyone seems to be buzzing about it.

It was really good.

I don't think he got a single step right - it was more the effort that was appreciated.

Where did you get the flags?

A lot of hard work went into it.

It's time for Terry to show off his venue.

Wow!

-Do you like it?

-Oh, my God!

I feel like I want to cry.

You have done the most perfect job ever.

I done it for you.

Did you like the lion?

Yeah. Can I bring them home?

-Yeah. We own them.

-What about the zebras?

-We own most of it.

Go away!

Ireland is where I envisioned my perfect day but he's made the best of a situation

and he's brought Ireland to me. That's amazing. I'm happy.

He's done fantastic. You could see straightaway Melissa was made up with everything.

I thought, "How is this going to work out?"

But it is brilliant.

My wife and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone here.

"My wife and I." I like that!

LAUGHTER

It's been the toughest three weeks of my life.

I wouldn't have got through it

if it wasn't for you, mate.

Now to my wife!

You're my best friend and soul mate. I promise to love you and appreciate you

till death do us part.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The wedding day has been fantastic.

I feel so overwhelmed. The surprises I've had around each corner.

I'm very happy with everything Terry's put on.

I'm very happy to be his wife.

-Ah, my nail!

-Sorry!

You're going to have to sort out the honeymoon!

THEY LAUGH

What he did today was amazing.

It wasn't just about Terry, it was about two separate cultures, two entities coming together

and uniting as one.

It's going to be brilliant to have my flat back.

I'll enjoy it for a few days. After that, I'll be like,

"Missing him a bit!"

He couldn't have done any better than he did.

Well done, Terry!

You did well. I'm proud to call you my brother-in-law.

I've been to a lot of weddings over the years.

I'm not just saying this cos it's me daughter's wedding but it's been the best wedding I've ever been at.

I'm going to be able to have more trust in you

to organise situations and take the front seat in family events.

I don't want to!

I really don't!

The pawinquin, for me, that was a treasured memory.

I don't think I'll ever be on another pawinquin in my life.

-Palan-quin.

-Whatever, Trevor.

Next time - it's bride abroad.

When prison officer Noel...

I don't like the idea of it being miles away.

..tries to plan a romantic wedding in Magaluf.

We're not even here for the drink.

Will hard-working mum Gemma...

It's the only day in my life that I'm not covered in baby sick.

..get the day of her dreams?

We've spent more on booze in one night than on the wedding dress.

Or will it be a foreign fiasco?

If this is where I'm going to spend my wedding evening I need to get really pissed.

# I love him, I love him, I love him I love him

# Ooh, ooh

# I love him, I love him, I love him I love him

# Ooh, ooh

# And there ain't no other that I'd put above him

# Ooh, ooh

# I'm so mad about the boy

# Ooh, ooh

# Oh, oh

# Can't make up my mind about this guy

# Sometimes he makes me smile... #

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