No say on the Best Man, dubbed songs and changing the groom’s first choice venue: Couple reveal what REALLY goes on behind the scenes on Don’t Tell The Bride
MARK Kelly’s marriage to Kelly – yes, she is now called Kelly Kelly – was one of the most watched episodes in Don’t Tell the Bride history.
The couple, both entertainers from Manchester, got hitched on a cruise ship in Italy – after a comedy of errors including non-existent hen dos, a crushed cake and the Mother of the Bride shelling out for bridesmaid dresses.
On the big day, viewers cringed as Mark, dressed as Frank Spencer, staggered around the stage and serenaded all 10 of their guests with 80s pop music before Kelly walked down the aisle of the on-board theatre.
The pair were “married” by the ship’s entertainments co-ordinator, who was dressed as George Michael in a “Choose Wife” T-shirt.
Now the couple, whose memorable episode aired on BBC One in July 2015, have lifted the lid on what REALLY goes on behind the scenes of the popular show.
Mark, 40, told how he didn’t tell Kelly, 40, he’d applied to the show and wanted to keep it a surprise.
“We’d been together for 10 years, but Kelly didn’t know anything about it,” he said.
“I hadn’t proposed, I hadn’t mentioned marriage.”
As part of his application, Mark supplied a list of ideas for the wedding, one of which was his dream venue – the Palace Theatre in Manchester, where he met Kelly in 2005.
He explained: “I used to call her my Princess in the Palace. My original idea – I knew it had to be a little bit quirky for it to stand out - was that we would get married in the Palace Theatre.
“We would be on the stage and all the scenery, the music, the backdrop, would tell the story of everything we’ve done in 10 years.
“There was a show called The Jersey Boys going on at the time we were getting married, and one of the lead actors and singers was a very old friend of Kelly’s.
“The plan was all the songs that were important to me and Kelly would be sung at the side of the stage by the cast.
“I negotiated with The Palace Theatre and I got them down from £6,000 to £2,500-£3,000, so as far as I was concerned I’d saved lots on the budget.
“The production team then gave me a list of alternatives that we had to film, should my idea not come off, or if we weren’t allowed to do them.
“They made us (him and his Best Man) go and see the cruise ship first – I didn’t want to, but they explained to me that I didn’t have to use it as my wedding venue, it was just to fill time on the show, padding.”
A few days after they’d filmed scenes of Mark negotiating a deal with the theatre, he claims he got a phone call from producers telling him the venue had said no.
Mark said: “I got in touch with the lead actor and said, ‘Did your manager say no?’, and he said ‘No, the production team got in touch with us and gave us all the reasons why they couldn’t do it.’
“At this point I’ve got about a week and a half to plan the wedding – this is where the drama comes from.”
Production company Renegade Pictures insist timing caused the venue issue.
A spokesperson explained: “Unfortunately the dates offered by the theatre did not coincide with the production schedule.
“Mark agreed to, and was enthusiastic about, a cruise ship wedding both on the phone to the series producer ahead of the couple being approved to feature in the series and in person during the pre-shoot contract meeting.
“Mark’s application was about putting on a show with singing and magic and friends and family in the front row – this was fulfilled.
“He chose the cruise ship which had a theatre as his original choice of location was not available.”
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Mark claims the production team oversee every decision the groom makes – often taking it out of his hands and finalising a deal privately.
Mark said: “Every time I dealt with somebody I had to hand the phone over or leave the room for people to speak to the producer.
“Nothing was ever 100 per cent agreed with the groom. I never dealt directly with suppliers or people involved; it always came through the producers or the production team.”
One of the decisions Mark claims he wasn’t granted was his choice of Best Man.
He explained: “They asked me on the phone to make a shortlist of people to be the best man, even though I had a friend I went to school with who I’d known 30 years who I wanted.
“I had to come up with three or four names, which I did, and one of them was a guy we’d known for about two years called Dave.
“I’d explained beforehand that I didn’t really want Dave as my best man as I hadn’t known him long enough and he wasn’t suitable.
“But they said I needed to continue with Dave as at our audition on camera they’d really liked the chemistry between us.
“I insisted in the end on having two best men.”
A spokesman for Renegade Pictures insisted: “When Mark & Kelly applied for the show they had one best man.
“There were issues around his availability and a second best man was included in the groom’s party to ensure that Mark had someone with him through the process. This was with the groom’s full knowledge and consent.”
Mark told how he never saw any of the £14,000 budget as the production team handle all the transactions.
They also take away the bride and grooms’ phones. This is agreed in the original contract.
“I had no access to emails, phone calls, I had no correspondence with anybody,” said Mark.
“My Best Man was answering things on my behalf, which is why I had to put them in charge of everything.”
The pressure became too much for one of Mark’s Best Men, Steven, who allegedly dropped out.
This, Mark claims, resulted in the hen do Steven had been organising getting cancelled, meaning Kelly had to put up with a night in her local pub, unbeknown to Mark.
One of the things Mark did appear to get right was Kelly’s dress – however in the show his mother-in-law was forced to cough up to buy bridesmaid dresses for their two young daughters.
Mark claims he saw two dresses for the kids in the same shop he’d bought Kelly’s dress – under the contract you can only buy three items from any one retailer – but he “wasn’t allowed” to buy them.
The show spokesperson explained those taking part are required to use a “good variety of suppliers” which is clearly explained in a pre-shoot contract meeting.
Commenting about the budget, they added: “Obviously we wouldn’t pay £14k of license fee payers’ money into someone’s account as we are entrusted with those funds by the broadcaster.
“The budget is never withheld from any groom. The production team informs the groom where he stands with his budget throughout the three weeks.”
Having spoken about wanting “loads of people” to watch them get married, Mark and Kelly ended up with a congregation of just 10.
Yet again Mark blamed the production team, whom he said didn’t tell the guests the date or location of the wedding until 9pm the night before they were due to fly out - at 6am the following morning. They insist this was his job.
Not only that, the flights had been booked from East Midlands Airport, so a lot of their Manchester friends and family with kids decided it was too much hassle.
The night before the wedding, Kelly was initially taken to a motel above a petrol station on a busy road and put up in a room without a mirror.
Mark said he’d originally booked somewhere else, but the production team, with the help of Best Man Dave, changed the hotel he’d chosen.
He explained: “I love this woman more than I’ve ever loved anybody in my life, I would not put her, on her wedding day, in a hotel, a little motel in a petrol station on a busy motorway in the middle of a foreign country with my two children, my mother-in-law and my family. That would never happen.”
Despite the change of venue to the cruise ship, Mark said the production team insisted on him going through with his original ideas.
He explained: “The plan was to come on as Frank Spencer very briefly in the Palace Theatre because Michael Crawford, one of my childhood heroes, has done a lot of stage and theatre work, so that was the link there.
“But I had to do that on a cruise ship. I didn’t want to do it, it didn’t tie in, it didn’t make any sense.”
In the episode, Kelly can be seen walking down the aisle to Here Comes the Bride – however Mark claims it was dubbed.
“She actually walked down the aisle to George Michael singing The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” he revealed.
“But they played Here Comes the Bride. They took all the romance out of it, all the love and the caring, to make me look like a complete plum.”
According to the spokesperson, this was because all music used has to be rights cleared and if that isn’t possible it is dubbed.
Reflecting on his experience, Mark said: “In my opinion, what they do is, they’ve got an idea of what they want the wedding to be and what they want the locations to be.
“It’s their job, to get the drama, the groom is effectively forced into changing his plans and doing what they want.
“I broke down on at least three occasions because of the emotional difficulties and the pain and trouble.
“I thought the drama would come from literally having three weeks to plan an outlandish wedding, I didn’t realise that the production team would go to the lengths they did to make sure of other drama.”
Renegade Pictures was contacted for comment on all Mark’s claims, with a spokesperson adding: “When Mark & Kelly applied for the show they had one best man.
“There were issues around his availability and a second best man was included in the groom’s party to ensure that Mark had someone with him through the process. This was with the groom’s full knowledge and consent.
“Phones are always removed from the couples as contact between them is forbidden during filming as per the format of the show. This was fully explained to both Mark and Kelly at the pre-shoot contract meeting.
“The production team speak to suppliers to arrange payment and ensure that the correct filming permissions are in place, once the groom has confirmed with the supplier what he would like. The process of arranging suppliers/venues is carefully explained to each couple during a pre-shoot contract meeting.
“[Filming took place at those hours because] Mark was awake… arranging the wedding and we were observing him.
“Don’t tell the bride is shot over a three-week period, during which approximately 100 hours’ worth of footage is generated.
“As per standard television practice, this large amount of footage is edited down to a 58 minute programme. This obviously means that some scenes make the cut and some do not.
"This is explained to the couples at the pre-shoot contract meeting. All key events are covered.
“Mark did not book a hotel abroad until the last minute. Working to his budget, the production team helpfully sent him a link for his approval before booking – which he greenlit.
“The bride was unhappy with the choice he had made (no full length mirror in the room) and forced him to change it to a more suitable one (all included in the programme). Again, the production team offered support.
“Re the hen, it is the groom who has to take the initiative in arranging all and any aspects of the wedding. Mark forgot to arrange a hen party for Kelly until the last minute and provided no booking requests, information or instructions to the production team.”
Viewers were outraged when we revealed that the weddings on Don't Tell The Bride aren't legally binding.
And this groom splurged £2k on a PIG FARM wedding for his unwitting bride.
