WHEN Paul Todd signed up for Married At First Sight, he had dreams of finding his soul mate and falling in love in front of the nation.
But producers dropped a bombshell after he purchased his groom’s suit – his wedding wasn’t going ahead on the E4 reality show.
Paul Todd and Ally Acklan’s wedding was axed by MAFS producersCredit: Instagram/unseen_couple
The pair still found each other and now have a two-year-old daughterCredit: Instagram/unseen_couple
The 35-year-old had already done six weeks of filming and was ready to meet his “wife”.
He demanded to be put in touch with the woman MAFS’ experts had matched him with to explore a potential relationship away from the cameras.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Paul and Ally Acklan, 38, are now proud parents to a two-year-old girl and set to tie the knot for real next June.
“Two days before our wedding day, production called up and said it wasn’t going ahead,” Paul told OK!.
“I thought I was never going to meet Ally so I begged the experts to put me in touch with her or else I was going to message every single Ally on Instagram until I found her.”
The pair had both signed up for the 2020 series of the show but the Covid-19 lockdown saw their wedding called off, joining thousands of other disappointed couples in the UK.
Rather than meeting for the first time at the altar, Paul and Ally met each other via a video call that ended up lasting 90 minutes.
“The funny thing is, it was never awkward,” Paul said. “The experts had been so reassuring that I knew Ally was the right person for me and I was the right person for her.
“We’d already bought into the idea of each other before we’d even met. It was really natural.”
The pair decided to move in together during lockdown, with Ally travelling three and a half hours to Weston-Super-Mare to meet her man.
“I only packed two weeks worth of clothes because I didn’t know how long I’d be there for,” she told OK!. “Three years later and I’m yet to move out.”
“It felt like it was right immediately. Don’t ask me why, but I had a strong intuition that MAFS would help me find a match.”
The pair, who self-style as MAFS’ “unseen couple”, found out they were expecting a baby in October 2020 and got engaged a few months later.
Now raising their little girl Penelope together and happier than ever, Ally and Paul are set to tie the knot next summer in a ceremony different to the one producers had planned for the show.
“This time, we’re much more in control of our wedding,” Paul said. “Before we were given a pamphlet with colour schemes and decor choices but now we have control of everything. It’s a hindrance and a blessing
“It would be nice to just rock up somewhere, get married and have the rest of the day planned out for us but it’s good to not have the pressure of the cameras.”
Ally admitted that “it would’ve been nice to have their love story captured on camera” but is looking forward to getting some privacy on the day.
They have even invited MAFS experts Mel Schilling, Paul C. Brunson and Charlene Douglas to celebrate their nuptials.
“It’s not how we thought it would happen, but I think it’s how it’s supposed to be,” Ally said.
Paul and Ally dub themselves the “unseen couple” of MAFSCredit: Instagram/unseen_couple
They share insights into their expert-matched relationship on social mediaCredit: Instagram/unseen_couple
