Love it or loathe it, MAFSAU is absolutely fascinating telly and I make no apology for my admission that …. 

my Guilty Pleasure is “Married at First Sight Australia” 

There. I’ve said it.

Pass me the judgment …. and the remote.

I should add that I don’t give the UK version a second glance; but the Aus version- the OG, is proper binge (or should that be cringe 😬) worthy. 

Before my professional integrity is brought into question, let me caveat my admission with the assurance that watching MAFS has not damaged my belief in true love, marriage or indeed humanity. If anything, I’d say it’s reinforced it. Just… not in the way the programme producers probably intended.

I Genuinely Love The Personal Vows

My further confession about my admission is that I actually love the personal vows on MAFS.

When they’re good, they’re really good. 

They’re honest, full of hope and a glimpse into the vulnerability of an otherwise carefully chosen TV Ego or their more terrified counterpart. 

For those 10 minutes before the drama of the dinner parties and the flouncey exits, you can see what they’re hoping for. The version of love that they enter the experiment for.

Those vows are often the most real thing about the whole process. 

For MAFS couples their vows are doing the emotional heavy lifting all on their own. There’ s been no shared history, no time building a relationship, no sense of what the person at the other end of the aisle might be hoping for.

They’re not responding to a partner, they’re revealing themselves.

Making promises to someone you don’t know means speaking purely from your own values and expectations, without knowing whether they’ll land, align .… or even collide.

The MAFS Ceremony Celebrant

It’s difficult not to compare the time, care and emotional energy I pour into every single ceremony I write… with the fact that the televised celebrant has most likely only met this couple on the day (though this happened to me last year too 🫤)

They’re not invested in their couple, their backstory, their dreams, their tribe.

They’ve not had long chats, the laughs, the banter. They’ve not had the “tell me what really matters to you” conversations…. But, then again, does it matter for the telly ?   

Awkward = higher viewing ratings right?  

The telly celebrant in their day job would be doing their job beautifully but in this instance it can be compared to a ceremony by a legal registrar at a registry office. Professional, efficient… not in the least bit personal.

That’s not a criticism btw, it’s the reality of the legal bit which must be done. 

When I work with my couples, I know why their vows matter. I know the backstory behind the wry smiles, the meaning behind the promises and the moments that shaped them.

Would I Be a MAFS Celebrant?

Would I do it? Would I be the celebrant on MAFS?”

Hell yeah… sign me up! 🙌🏻

Would it be wildly different to how I normally work? Absolutely.

Would I still give it warmth, respect, and humanity? Of course.

Would my teeth start to itch about not having weeks to get to know them? Probably 😬

But at its heart, a wedding; even a slightly unhinged telly one is still a moment where two people stand up and say “I’m choosing this path” (for whatever reason) 

What MAFS Gets Wrong (And Accidentally Gets Right)

MAFS isn’t real marriage. It’s casting and very clever editing to create TV drama gold

But it also accidentally highlights what does matter.

The couples who struggle most aren’t the ones without chemistry.  They’re the ones without kindness, listening skills or those with an emotional chink in their armour exposed for all to see. Watching that unfold only makes me more grateful for the real couples I work with. The ones choosing each other deliberately, quietly; with an audience of only their nearest and dearest. 

The love I see in my ceremonies is never dramatic, its is deep.

I can see it in shared glances, private jokes and vows written with time, trust and intention.

So “yes”, I’m an MAFSAU fan and I’m here for it for another season; sharing my opinions with my mates and indeed, some of my couples (you know who you are 😉🫶🏻)  

Every episode reminds me that real love doesn’t need to be loud, rushed or televised to be meaningful.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a very strong view about who absolutely should not make it to final vows.

Pass me the remote 📺💕