MAFS Australia bride Mel reveals wedding day disaster that wasn't shown on TV
11 March 2026, 10:54 | Updated: 11 March 2026, 10:57
Jilted bride Mel Akbay spilled on yet another awkward moment between her and 'forgetful' groom Luke Fourniotis that MAFS viewers never got to see.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Married At First Sight Australia bride Mel Akbay has revealed yet another wedding day disaster that wasn't aired on TV as she opened up about her doomed ceremony, which aired on Tuesday night.
The self-confessed girly girl, 28, had high hopes of finding the 'blue' to her 'pink' when she tied the knot to Luke Fourniotis during episode two of the experiment.
Wishing for a magical connection and a fairytale day filled with rom-com inspired moments, she shared her dreams with producers on the run up to her nuptials – but it seemed her new husband had other ideas.
Not only did the farmer, 30, forget the rings, making him late to his own wedding as his wife-to-be stood waiting alone at the altar, he also spat out his chewing gum during the vows and handed it to his sister, leaving Mel mightily unimpressed.
But it turns out they weren't the only blunders Luke made during the car-crash ceremony, as Mel confessed there was one more scene viewers didn't get to see on screen.
Speaking about her husband's 'third mistake' that put a dampener on their special day, she told 9Entertainment: "When it was time to kiss, I went in to kiss him on the lips and then he went for the cheek."
The pretty brunette confessed his snub made her feel "like an idiot" but she wasn't convinced her spouse had even noticed the awkward encounter.
She later admitted she just "wasn't feeling any chemistry" with the hunky farmer and felt like their relationship was cursed from the start.
"I felt like, oh god this is going to be a terrible experience because I'm not feeling that way towards you," she continued.
"To be honest it did feel a little bit like a let down because I really went in there thinking I was going to experience a fairytale."
Mel blamed MAFS experts Mel Schilling, Jon Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla for mis-matching the pair and said Luke's actions "ruined" their whole day.
"I did feel let down," she told TV WEEK.
"Especially when I walked down the aisle and I thought, ‘Oh my god — where is he?’ I just remember looking at my friends and family and thinking, 'You probably feel so sorry for me with this person that I’m about to marry.'
"I remember when we were leaving the wedding, I just waved bye to them all and felt sad. Is this really a person that I’m meant to be with? It started off on the wrong foot from the get-go."
- READ MORE: MAFS Australia 2026 cast revealed – meet series 13's brides and grooms
- READ MORE: Which MAFS UK 2025 couples are still together?
But while Mel believes the pair eventually moved past the drama, Luke revealed the rest of the day "was not that easy" for him.
"I felt like I was chasing my tail all day and I was really trying to make an effort with Mel and get to know her and ask lots of questions and I wasn't getting heaps back," he said.
"I was really apologetic but I would've thought by the end of the day it would've chilled out."
After his attempts to patch things up fell flat, Luke admitted he found it difficult to spark up any kind of conversation with his new bride.
"It was a horrible way to meet Mel for the first time," explained the MAFS groom.
"I felt bad that she was waiting for me at the altar. She was clearly quite upset by that. I was struggling to connect with Mel – that was the hardest part."
- READ MORE: Are MAFS Australia's Gia and Scott still together?
- READ MORE: MAFS Australia fans react to first weddings and beg one groom to 'run' from 'red flag' bride
- READ MORE: What nights is Married At First Sight Australia on? TV schedule revealed
