Don't Tell The Bride

I normally have lots of negative things to say about all these TV Wedding shows but Don't Tell The Bride currently showing on BBC3 is an exception. It has so much going for it. The role reversal aspect turns everything on its head , forcing the bride to relinquish control while her husband to be plans the entire wedding without her knowing what decisions he is making. Her true feelings about the meaning of her wedding are free to come to the surface as her time and attention isn't being taken up with the usual planning.

This is a revealing show, that challenges the bride and groom in different ways and the fact that the wedding must be put together in four weeks with a £12,ooo budget and they must stay apart from each other during that time gives it many layers and dimensions.

I think that it's a fantastic idea, a great experiment that can actually do the bride and groom a lot of favours with respect to where their values lay and understanding what their intentions are towards each other. I also think that it is a brave couple who decide to do this knowing what the restrictions are though I'm sure that they haven't fully considered just what they are letting themselves in for. Indeed, the bride above-Katy Ollerenshaw absolutely freaked when she tried on the dress that Sam had chosen for her-and ended up borrowing the one she finally wore(above).

I like ideas that shake things up and change the perspective and I'm interested in watching what happens when a wedding is approached and planned in this way. Anything, anything to break the formula, the predictable set up. Something, that at last gets inside the minds of the couple and shows more than just an outer layer. Hallelujah!