A former Don't Tell the Bride star has opened up about her time on the reality TV show16:43, 05 Jul 2026A bride from Doncaster has revealed how her dream wedding was taken from her.‌Fern Weston-Bennett featured on the hit reality series Don't Tell the Bride alongside her now husband Ryan back in 2010, when it originally aired on BBC Three — though it can now be streamed on Channel 4.‌The much-loved reality show hands a couple a fixed budget to fund their big day, but with one major catch — the groom must organise every single detail, from the venue and cake to the dress, without any help or contact with his bride-to-be.‌The bride has absolutely no say whatsoever in the planning. She is kept entirely in the dark about the venue, the guest list, and even what she will be wearing until she makes her way down the aisle.Fern and Ryan remain one of the show's most talked-about couples, as the planning process at the time was notoriously chaotic, with Ryan seemingly putting his best friend, nicknamed "Fernando", ahead of his bride, stirring up no shortage of "bromance" drama, reports Yorkshire Live.‌Working with a budget of £12,000, groom Ryan left Fern, who was just 21 at the time, far from impressed after getting her dream dress completely wrong.Fern had a strong dislike for plain dresses and had her heart set on an elaborately detailed gown; yet Ryan opted for a simple, elegant princess dress costing £1,000, which left her furious.Ultimately, Ryan managed to pull together a lavish, Hollywood-style ceremony, complete with a showstopping arrival for the bride by helicopter.‌Now 16 years on, Fern has spoken candidly about her experience on the programme as she confessed that despite feeling thankful, her dream day was "taken away from her".Speaking to online bingo provider, Zingo Bingo, Fern revealed: "As much as I'm so grateful for the opportunity and we had our wedding paid for, which really did a huge favour to us, I've always said that I never feel like I had the wedding in terms of what it was supposed to feel like."‌She continued: "Personally, all of that was taken away from me. I never had my own vision come to life. I never had the emotions of what a bride should experience when they're getting married. It was more about creating a TV show and getting what they needed to get."The reality telly star, who is now a mum of two, also spoke openly about the pressure she encountered while appearing on the show as she acknowledged that it was "overwhelming" at times.Content cannot be displayed without consent‌She explained: "It was overwhelming because I didn't move in with my bridesmaids or my friends. I moved back in with my parents for the duration of filming. I've been used to not living with them for 3 years."So during those three weeks it was an intense situation and not having any contact with Ryan was hard."She added: "I must have been quite difficult to work with because I don't really like showing too much emotion and they needed emotion from me. I felt quite under pressure."Article continues belowReflecting on how her views on reality television have shifted, she went on to say: "I just think you've got to be so aware of what you get into and don't expect it to be normal life."You're making entertainment at the end of the day and getting that balance of what's natural and not natural."You can stream Don't Tell the Bride on Channel 4