Prince William and Kate Middleton have dominated our TV screens in the last week. From their college beginnings to Williams’s long family history, it’s been hard to escape them. However last night’s royal themed programme came with a twist. While the world waited with bathed breath to see which dress Kate would arrive in, it was obvious that it would have been nowhere near as outlandish as one from the travelling community’s dress extraordinaire Thelma Madine.
‘My Big Fat Royal Gypsy Wedding’ gave us a unique glimpse into the traveller’s version of a royal wedding last night, which included acres of fabric, gallons of fake tan and funnily enough, an animal shelter. As the traveller equivalent of Kate Middleton, the bride had to make sure she stood out; and that she did (her dress couldn’t even fit up the aisle). The term ‘less-is-more’ doesn’t appear to exist in the vocabulary of a traveller bride. In fact the phrase ‘more, more, more’ seemed more apt as last night’s girl shouted out her excessive demands and whacky ideas for her unlucky wedding planner to hear.
23-year-old Mary was the latest in a long line of traveller girls to appear on the BAFTA nominated series. While all the weddings gone before hers have been extravagant and shocking, none were as unbelievable as Mary and her husband Paddy’s big gypsy day. This was a no expense spared do. If the royals can do it, then why can’t they right?
Paddy and the majority of the male travellers involved in the wedding refused to be seen on camera. This we were told was due to the fact that they might lose work if their true identities were known. Either that or they’re afraid we’ll start questioning where they get all this money from.
Carriages, ice sculptures, balloons and feathers were just some of the unnecessary items on the wedding list. Having rang around 50 hotels across the country, wedding organiser Thelma finally managed to secure a spot at an animal shelter. While Mary wasn’t convinced at first, she soon set about making the place her own.
Flicking through a photo album and gazing at a picture of Princess Diana on her big day, Mary revealed that all she ever dreamt about was that she would have an amazing wedding day. As is the case for many traveller girls, unless their dress is perfect, the whole wedding could be called off.
Dressed in what can only be described as a giant cloud puffball, adorned with 40,000 crystals, Mary, her bridesmaids (who also struggled up the aisle) and her two flower girls put Barbie to shame. Katie Price would have been proud of their pink disco ball dresses and over styled hair. But forget about the wedding party for a minute, the guests gave them a good run for their money.
Kids arrived in belly tops, teenagers plunged down the path as they struggled in their stilettos and the women of the travelling community dressed like they were trying to copy their kids. The men kept it very casual though, ‘wifebeater’ tops and jeans were seen far and wide. While the men of the travelling community enjoyed the disco, it wasn’t complete until they had ‘grabbed’ a girl. As the cameras interviewed Thelma, a traveller boy zoomed past with a screaming girl in his hands, literally grabbing her around the waist.
Yes, it’s comical and amusing for us to watch, but as every other ‘Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ programme has shown, their traditions and ways are very questionable. How is it acceptable for women to be treated like second class citizens in the 21st century? As Mary and her sister spent a fun day out on a speedboat (they probably own it) her sister commented that Mary would not be enjoying anymore days like that when she was a married woman. Mary later commented that Paddy already thought he ‘owned’ her before they were even married.
Whacky and a bit tacktasic is may be, but let’s face it, they haven’t got a patch on Kate Middleton and Prince William.
Sarah Carty
