Forget Married At First Sight, it took relationship coach Melanie Schilling six-and-a-half years to walk down the aisle!
There was a huge laugh as Mel and her new hubby Gareth hit the floor for their first dance to At Last at their stunning Balinese jungle wedding.
Want more celeb goss? Listen to the latest episode of the Woman’s Day Uncensored Podcast, where the team discuss MAFS‘ Dean Wells finding God, Bob Irwin’s dying wish to see his grandchildren and Victoria and David Beckham’s complex relationship.
Melanie and Gareth tie the knot!
The jungle provided a magnificent setting.
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It was six years before Mel and Gareth took the plunge, and their darling daughter had a starring role in their big day.
“It was the most apt song given I’m getting married for the first time at 46 after a six-and-a-half-year engagement,” laughs Mel, relationship coach for Nine’s Married At First Sight.
Mel met her now-husband through eHarmony after spending the majority of her 30s single and happy.
With fellow MAFS experts Trisha and John.
The couple celebrated with 60 friends and family.
The perfect day
Unlike the MAFS couples she coaches, Mel and Gareth took their time to marry and, despite the delay, their day was perfect.
Mel couldn’t have looked more beautiful or relaxed as she pledged her love to Gareth in front of 60 close friends and family, and the couple’s three-year-old daughter Maddie.
Their daughter Maddie was thrilled to play a part in the ceremony.
Such a happy moment.
Maddie walked down the aisle first.
Bali’s Saratoga jungle palace provided a romantic backdrop.
“The setting was really tranquil and as soon as I saw Gareth I felt really calm,” says Mel, who moved to Indonesia a few years ago.
“We just held hands facing each other for the entire ceremony and looked into each other’s eyes – it was so beautiful. To be able to say my vows in front of everyone – my heart was absolutely bursting.”
Married at… last!
The Bali-based wedding was a dream come true.
What a celebration!
Walking down the aisle as husband and wife.
The couple met on eHarmony.
The outift
Mel looked sublime in this elegant gown.
Such a beautiful dress.
Mel ended up kicking her heels off at the end of the night, to dance into marital bliss.
The enchanting rings.
The couple wrote their own vows and had Maddie walk down the aisle before Mel.
They even had a ring made for her so she felt especially involved.
“She thought that was pretty great, and so did we, until she lost it!” laughs Mel.
The hardest part of the day though, was trying not to cry during the ceremony.
READ MORE: Where you can get every single Married at First Sight 2018 bridal dress
Mel couldn’t have looked more beautiful or relaxed as she pledged her love to Gareth.
Sealed with a kiss.
After a five-course feast of seafood, steak and a delicious chocolate cake, all that remained was to dance the night away surrounded by the people they love most.
“I took my shoes off and put on my bridal thongs,” says Mel.
“We didn’t want it to end because everyone was having such a good time.”
Gareth got very emotional.
Their first dance was to At Last.
Time to boogie.
The bridal suite
As Oh What A Night played, sparklers were lit and there were yet more hugs and tears as the magical night finally drew to a close, before the happy couple escaped to the bridal suite to revel in their happiness.
“We sat in a big warm bath and fell asleep – after we consummated the wedding, of course,” adds Gareth with a cheeky laugh.
Congrats!
