How do shows like Don't tell the bride legally work?

mrsmoosemrsmoose Posts: 2,090
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I was watching a similar kind of show today where the kids plan the wedding as a suprise from their parents (they know they are getting married but don't know anything details), and I watched Celebrity Wedding Planners earlier this week, it just made me wonder how they can "legally" suprised the couple when it comes to the venue.
When me and my husband got married 6 months ago we had to go to the regestry office to register the wedding and part of this was to tell them our chosen venue.

My hubby tthinks these shows are a con and the couples have to just act suprised when they turn up to their wedding and see their venue because they must know all along, does anyone know if this is actually the case?
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 979
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    I assume it is the form the marriage takes that is a surprise not the date.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 13,572
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    Lizaj wrote: »
    I assume it is the form the marriage takes that is a surprise not the date.

    In Don't Tell The Bride, they don't even know the date
  • mrsmoosemrsmoose Posts: 2,090
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    Lizaj wrote: »
    I assume it is the form the marriage takes that is a surprise not the date.

    That's the thing though, you have to state which venue you are marrying in when you go to the registry office to do the legal bit.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 454
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    I was wondering this. Do both partners have to be there to sign though? Perhaps just the groom does it? Also, it's clearly done a lot further in advance than the six weeks they claim.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 979
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    tinkie wrote: »
    In Don't Tell The Bride, they don't even know the date

    Is that what they say? I think I remember having to sign something;)
  • anotherlongersanotherlongers Posts: 1,792
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    It's TV, not real life. Don't believe anything you see on TV, it's all made up to amuse an audience.

    Believe it or not, rubbish like TOWIE and Geordie Shore is all scripted. ;)
  • occasional postoccasional post Posts: 6,351
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    It's TV, not real life. Don't believe anything you see on TV, it's all made up to amuse an audience.

    Believe it or not, rubbish like TOWIE and Geordie Shore is all scripted. ;)
    Is theer any need to be quite so patronising to the OP, who actually raises a very good question.
    I'd like to know the answer! :)
  • DaisyBillDaisyBill Posts: 4,339
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    It is possible to arrange surprise weddings in 'real life', so I would guess the same procedures would apply.
    There are a lot of other dodgy things about this programme though. Such as why does the bride always say she would hate a certain thing, then loves it when the groom chooses it.
    Or how do they manage to find venues at such short notice.
  • pburke90pburke90 Posts: 14,754
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    What stops the bride from arranging with the groom beforehand everything they want, then agree that she will act like she wants the total opposite for the cameras, then cue the dramatics when the bride sees the stuff she "doesn't" want (but secretly does). Eventually she relents, agrees everything is just fine the way it is and that it doesn't matter as she is marrying the man she loves etc. and then they get a wedding paid for by the BBC.

    Has there ever been a bride who didn't go through with the marriage?

    No.

    I wonder why... ;)

    Oh, and for more inside information on the show, check out this link detailing the things the production company did to spice the show up for one particular bride - http://14sandwiches.com/2008/09/27/dont-tell-the-bride-we-ruined-her-wedding-on-purpose/
  • daisyduck1976daisyduck1976 Posts: 1,166
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    I was wondering this. Do both partners have to be there to sign though? Perhaps just the groom does it? Also, it's clearly done a lot further in advance than the six weeks they claim.

    Yes you both have to be there to get the certificate which then allows you to get married. I had to do it a couple of weeks ago. We were interviewed separately and had to give our own and then each other's addresses, DoBs, occupations, father's names, venue name and address and the date of the marriage.

    So yes- it would seem that there's a little jiggery pokery going on in these shows... but I'd expect that :) Still enjoy them.
  • SuperAPJSuperAPJ Posts: 10,402
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    Paddy C wrote: »
    Has there ever been a bride who didn't go through with the marriage?

    No.

    Although we haven't seen that happen, It's possible that there have been failures. The programme makers just wouldn't want to upset the couple by broadcasting the unhappy unravelling of events.
  • bryemycazbryemycaz Posts: 11,735
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    SuperAPJ wrote: »
    Although we haven't seen that happen, It's possible that there have been failures. The programme makers just wouldn't want to upset the couple by broadcasting the unhappy unravelling of events.

    Although It came pretty close with the TIT who decided to get married in Vegas. Then realised he didnt have enough money to get everyone there. So one of the brides brothers missed the wedding. I wonder if they are now divorced as one of the sisters said she will refuse to speak to him after what he did.
  • steven1977steven1977 Posts: 3,968
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    mrsmoose wrote: »
    I was watching a similar kind of show today where the kids plan the wedding as a suprise from their parents (they know they are getting married but don't know anything details), and I watched Celebrity Wedding Planners earlier this week, it just made me wonder how they can "legally" suprised the couple when it comes to the venue.
    When me and my husband got married 6 months ago we had to go to the regestry office to register the wedding and part of this was to tell them our chosen venue.

    My hubby tthinks these shows are a con and the couples have to just act suprised when they turn up to their wedding and see their venue because they must know all along, does anyone know if this is actually the case?

    Because in the tv world they have to pretend they dont know.
  • bookaddictbookaddict Posts: 2,806
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    SuperAPJ wrote: »
    Although we haven't seen that happen, It's possible that there have been failures. The programme makers just wouldn't want to upset the couple by broadcasting the unhappy unravelling of events.

    I would like to think you are right, but me being cynical, I tend to think that they would definitely show it if that happened, because of the ratings it would probably attract. The makers of these reality tv shows seem to place ratings above all else.

    I suspect that a heck of a lot of it is dramatised, and that the bride knows pretty much everything before it happens. I don't really know why they call these things reality tv, as reality is the last thing that it is really.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 336
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    Paddy C wrote: »
    What stops the bride from arranging with the groom beforehand everything they want, then agree that she will act like she wants the total opposite for the cameras, then cue the dramatics when the bride sees the stuff she "doesn't" want (but secretly does). Eventually she relents, agrees everything is just fine the way it is and that it doesn't matter as she is marrying the man she loves etc. and then they get a wedding paid for by the BBC.

    Glad to see there is someone who shares the same view haha :)
  • dadioflexdadioflex Posts: 1,598
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    bookaddict wrote: »
    I would like to think you are right, but me being cynical, I tend to think that they would definitely show it if that happened, because of the ratings it would probably attract. The makers of these reality tv shows seem to place ratings above all else.

    I suspect that a heck of a lot of it is dramatised, and that the bride knows pretty much everything before it happens. I don't really know why they call these things reality tv, as reality is the last thing that it is really.

    Yup. These shows are pretty much completely fake. Virtually nothing you see purporting to be reality TV is remotely real. It's all scripted and even if the protagonists aren't actually given a script, they are herded into situations until they say something or express an emotion that can be dropped into the story the series director is trying to tell - like slotting panels into a comic strip.
  • rivercity_rulesrivercity_rules Posts: 24,270
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    Is the venue an actual legal requirement, or just part of the form that can be filled in but doesn't need to? Same with the date?

    I mean what if, in real life a wedding was delayed for whatever reason, to say the next day, or if the venue closed down and had to be rearranged between the licence form filling and the actual day?
  • alijalij Posts: 227
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    I have often wondered whether part of the agreement is that the actual legal part of the wedding is done in quiet at a registry office etc and what we see on the programme is a blessing type ceremony.
  • daisyduck1976daisyduck1976 Posts: 1,166
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    Is the venue an actual legal requirement, or just part of the form that can be filled in but doesn't need to? Same with the date?

    I mean what if, in real life a wedding was delayed for whatever reason, to say the next day, or if the venue closed down and had to be rearranged between the licence form filling and the actual day?

    You can have it changed later for a price, but you have to say something when you first do the interview.
  • nuttytiggernuttytigger Posts: 14,051
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    Apologies for bumping an old thread but I was wondering if anyone had refused to get married.
    Yes you both have to be there to get the certificate which then allows you to get married. I had to do it a couple of weeks ago. We were interviewed separately and had to give our own and then each other's addresses, DoBs, occupations, father's names, venue name and address and the date of the marriage.

    So yes- it would seem that there's a little jiggery pokery going on in these shows... but I'd expect that :) Still enjoy them.

    When I got married in 2010 in a registry office I didn't need my husband to be there as long as I had his birth certificate etc.

    The registrar did want a meeting with us before hand to discuss the plan of the day, but if my husband hadn't been available it was fine with a bridesmaid or my mum etc.

    Not once were we asked anything like you were.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 717
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    There used to be a strict legal principle that marriages had to be held in public and announced weeks in advance. It was due to abductions and forced marriages in Victorian times. The rules were relaxed a few years back to allow more venues but the prinple that the bride or groom should not be bounced into marriage should still apply.

    As for TOWIE being scripted, I'm shocked. They can read?
  • nuttytiggernuttytigger Posts: 14,051
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    Cyclist wrote: »
    There used to be a strict legal principle that marriages had to be held in public and announced weeks in advance. It was due to abductions and forced marriages in Victorian times. The rules were relaxed a few years back to allow more venues but the prinple that the bride or groom should not be bounced into marriage should still apply.

    As for TOWIE being scripted, I'm shocked. They can read?

    Yeah our banns notice was up for about 6 weeks before the wedding in public view.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 360
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    Legal issues aside, it does beggar belief that these couples don't discuss exactly what kind of wedding they want as soon as DTTB says they might be on the show. Maybe they go for grooms-to-be who say they know what she wants but they've got a better idea... then again the couples on it are usually not the cleverest human beings to walk the earth, so it's vaguely possible that the men have somehow missed every other episode where it is clear that all the women want traditional services in a nice church in the countryside. The latest series is the least believable.
  • tellywatcher73tellywatcher73 Posts: 4,181
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    SuperAPJ wrote: »
    Although we haven't seen that happen, It's possible that there have been failures. The programme makers just wouldn't want to upset the couple by broadcasting the unhappy unravelling of events.

    I watched an American one (couldn't find the remote) where the groom didn't turn up. They showed the whole disaster!
  • angelafisherangelafisher Posts: 4,150
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    bryemycaz wrote: »
    Although It came pretty close with the TIT who decided to get married in Vegas. Then realised he didnt have enough money to get everyone there. So one of the brides brothers missed the wedding. I wonder if they are now divorced as one of the sisters said she will refuse to speak to him after what he did.

    Saw that one and thought the same thing.
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