Tacky and spectacularly OTT but steeped in traditional values... Channel Four goes behind the scenes at three gypsy weddings

Gypsy princess: Joan, who at 22 is considered relatively old for a traveller bride, smiles proudly while her bridesmaids and pageboy trail behind to carry her exceptionally long train

The extravagance of these bridal gowns is so extreme even a young Katie Price might have balked at wearing them.

But no expense is spared when celebrating the union of young gypsy and traveller couples - the hair is big, the dresses bigger and the whole occasion gloriously over the top.

In communities where divorce is still almost unheard-of, great effort is put into the biggest day of the bride's life.


Tight fit: Joan barely manages to squeeze her dress inside her Cinderella-esque carriage


Now the extraordinary preparations - and fiercely upheld values of the families involved - that form the background for these weddings will be revealed in a Cutting Edge documentary for Channel 4.

Most girls from gypsy and traveller communities are barely on the verge of womanhood as they become the centrepieces for these grand occasions, often thrust shortly after their 16th birthdays into the role of wife and soon-to-be mothers.


Modern woman: Unusually for a female traveller, Joan has a job - but only to help pay for the event


But despite the tender age of these brides - and sometimes the grooms - these marriages are usually guaranteed to go the distance because of strong religious and traditional convictions.

Young girls are virgins when they marry, as having children out of wedlock is considered taboo and divorce out of bounds.

The celebrations are visual spectacles and, despite the expense involved, some might dare say tacky.

Meringue-esque dresses are the norm, with sky-high tiaras, and a wedding carriage that would make Cinderella jealous.

Channel 4 cameras were allowed rare access to three gypsy and traveller weddings to reveal a culture steeped in tradition and religion.
But film-makers plan to show that is also a community detached from mainstream society, a community of contrasts, that lives by centuries-old religious and cultural traditions but at the same time embraces the gaudier extremes of the celebrity and fashion-obsessed times in which we live.

One wedding featured is that of 16-year-old Bridget and her 18-year-old groom Patrick, from Lincoln, who are having a very traditional traveller wedding, big, tacky and extremely garish.

Bridget's dress is probably heavier than she is and baby-face Patrick looks terrified throughout, as he is hitched to the girl he will now spend the rest of his life with.


Bright occasion: Bridget, 16, in star tiara, poses beside husband Patrick, 18, and their colourful bridesmaids


Young love: Bridget beams for the camera while Patrick is almost obscured by her spectacular dress


The second couple featured is another Patrick and his bride Joan, who at 22, is considered old, but she looks on herself as a modern woman and a symbol of the fact that travelling communities are not completely immune to change.

She has a job, but it was soon revealed that this was only to help finance the wedding and she will quit and become a full time housewife once she has married.

Then there's Jolene and Michael Doran, who had a traditional church wedding, but it wouldn't have been a typical travellers' affair without the huge white dress and the over-the-top bridesmaids, all kitted out in hot pink 17th century style dresses, top hats and lots of fake tan.

The documentary, entitled My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, airs on Channel 4 on Thursday at 9pm


Traditional with a twist: Jolene, pictured with extravagantly dressed bridesmaids, married Michael in a church


Gothic: Jolene's vampish looking bridesmaids pose for the cameras



source: dailymail