Love at first sight

RELATIONSHIP EXPERT MEL SCHILLING MARRIED HER SOULMATE AT CHRISTMAS AND SHARES DETAILS OF THE VERY SPECIAL FAMILY CEREMONY WITH WHO

- Melissa Field

For the past seven seasons of Married at First Sight, therapist and relationship expert Mel Schilling has played matchmaker and dished out no-nonsense advice to the brides and grooms on the show. But when it came to her own wedding, on December 24, 2020, Schilling, 48, admits she was super-emotional.

“I had a bit of a cry on the day,” she tells WHO. “It’s just the meaning of it all. I was a late bloomer in life, like, I didn’t meet my husband [Gareth Brisbane, also 48] until I was nearly 40 and then we had our daughter Madison, 6, when I was nearly 42, so to be finally saying our ‘I dos’ was an emotional time. It was very special.”

Here, Schilling shares precious memories of her very personal, very joyous “second” big day …

You had a commitment ceremony with Gareth in Bali two years ago. Why did you decide to marry officially now?

Our commitment ceremony in Bali felt more like a wedding and our actual wedding felt more like a commitment ceremony, but that’s OK. We decided to make things official because Gareth and I were so keen to finish 2020 off on a positive note. I’d spent three months away from him and Maddie during the year to film