Travellers survive on beans on toast for weeks to pay for blingy £150K weddings – it’s so important, we’re having THREE
WITH Swarovski-encrusted gowns weighing 20 stone, £150,000 celebrations and cakes so huge they needed four people to carry them, cult TV series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding fascinated Brits.
And now one traveller has revealed families survive on beans on toast for weeks to afford to glam up for weddings and holy communions, even if they're only a guest.
Michael Marshall, 38, and wife Nikia, 22, who's a settled person, think weddings are so important they're having THREE - and yes, she will wear a Swarovski dress.
They're fronting I Married A Traveller, an exclusive, six-part , revealing what it's really like to bring their two worlds together.
Michael tells Fabulous: "Truthfully, everybody in the traveller community wants to show off. But a lot of people live on beans on toast for weeks to afford it.
"The woman will just be cleaning and cooking cheap teas, while the man is saving and working hard.
"Travellers have a very big work ethic. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, I think it’s good to work hard and save money, so does Nikia.
"A lot of travellers will be living on beans on toast to save, while they're tarmacking and doing roofs.
"But when it comes to the crunch, they go all out spending on jewellery, cars, trailers, nice things like weddings for the family. They won’t hold back."
And the Marshalls want their own wedding to be just as flash, despite having both been married to other people before.
Michael ran away and married in Scotland when he was 19 and his then-wife was 16.
Michael, a boxer and roofer, says: "We were there for a Tyson Fury fight. We both knew we were in love, I knew in my heart I was.
"I was driving a rented V12 Charger muscle car when I said ‘will you marry me? Shall we just go and get married now? Let’s do it, we’re in Vegas, let’s get it done. C’mon, I want to be with you for the rest of my life'.
"So I drove straight to the Little White Chapel, where Elvis Presley got married. I can highly recommend it to anyone. It was the best day of my life.
"Nikia wanted what all girls want, for me to get down on one knee. But I think what I did was still romantic."
Nikia laughs: "I wouldn’t say it was my dream proposal. I wanted him harnessed and hanging off the Eiffel Tower, doing the spread eagle.
"But the wedding was actually really nice, it was magical. It was one of the best memories of my life.
"The priest got us out of the car, did our wedding ceremony and then gave us this list which said ‘this is how you have a successful marriage. Be patient, be kind, be loving, be respectful’.
"Now we're planning wedding number three. We got married once in Vegas, once in Doncaster and the third one is going to be the big wedding. I want a big Swarovski dress, it’s going to be gorgeous."
Everybody in the traveller community wants to show off. But a lot of people live on beans on toast for weeks to afford it
Michael Marshall
The pair became husband and wife on February 24, 2020 and made it legal in the UK with a registry office wedding in Doncaster on January 2 this year, with just Michael's friend and his wife as witnesses.
Nikia says: "When we got married in Vegas, it was just me and Michael, no-one came. It was so last minute, we were abroad for the fight, it wasn't planned.
"I’ll be honest with you, me and Mike are lone soldiers. We don’t have a lot of friends we hang out with.
"We are just best friends and we do everything together, so we didn’t have anyone else involved.
"The big day didn’t cost a lot, I think the fight cost more. I didn’t wear a dress, I was in a True Religion top.
"My mum was upset she didn’t come, but hey ho. It was rushed, we’re going to have a big wedding though, everyone’s invited."
Michael adds: "We both had jeans and T-shirts on when we married. We're going to make up for it though, we want to do it properly with the big dress, the church and the big reception."
Custom-made Katie Price style princess dresses, mahogany spray tans and horse drawn carriage entrances were all the rage when Gypsy Weddings hit our screens in 2010 - and it doesn't sound like much has changed.
Nikia says: "Travellers love a big wedding. Even for Holy Communion, all the young girls have make-up to the nines.
"I love the big wedding which comes with being a traveller, I think it’s really nice.
"But I think big weddings are for every girl, it’s not just travellers, you always imagine that from a little girl."
Michael adds: "Personally I think some traveller weddings are a bit OTT.
"Some of them go overboard, that’s my opinion, but Nikia’s going to go overboard with the next one because she wants to have a massive wedding too."
Traveller slang explained
Gorger: A non-Romani or non-traveller.
Grabbing: When a boy grabs an unmarried girl he wants to kiss, without permission.
Mush: Man.
Bure: Woman.
Turnout: Caravan.
Grunter: A mark, a rich man who's an easy target.
Cushty: Good.
Gammy: Bad.
The nature of their proposal meant Nikia was without a ring until July 2020, when she moaned at Michael until he pulled into Rankins Jewellers, London, where diamond rings cost up to £11,000.
As with most things in the travelling community, it's the bigger the better when it comes to sparklers.
Michael, who has Nikia's name tattooed on his ring finger, says: "Travellers are very shame orientated and pride orientated.
"If a fella’s doing well for himself, he’s going to be more accepted into the girl’s family. Nobody wants to see their daughter marry someone who can’t look after himself.
Personally I think some traveller weddings are a bit OTT. Some of them go overboard
Michael Marshall
"People will say ‘this girl’s cousin got a 10 carat diamond ring, this one got an 8 carat diamond ring’.
"If the guy’s got a nice car and a nice turnout, that’s what we call a trailer, that's what he'll be judged on.
"With us it was a little bit different. I’ve always been able to make a few pounds but it was hard over lockdown and Covid-19, I’m sure a lot of people struggled.
"Me and Nikia are super close so we just got on with things. Eventually I got her the best ring I could and that was it. She picked a lovely ring.
"Money can’t buy you love. Some guys in the travelling community might spend £100,000 on a ring but it's an arranged marriage.
"So from the girl's point of view, do you really want to be in that situation? I wouldn't want that for anybody."
You can read last week's episode of I Married A Traveller, where Nikia reveals how Michael expected her to stay home cooking all day as his wife, here.
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You can follow Nikia and . She also has her own beauty and fashion range, Red Hot Cosmetics, which . You can also follow Michael .