THE couple who were matched on the show found love in real life – just as the expert matchmakers had predicted.
Although their telly wedding was called off at the last minute, Ally Acklan and Paul Todd were both determined to meet their soulmate.
Ally, a 39 year old medical insurance manager, and train driver Paul, 36, had been due to appear on MAFS back in March 2020 but when the UK was plunged into lockdown, the show was suddenly cancelled.
They had already been filming for six weeks – but had yet to meet.
Paul begged the producers to put him in touch with the woman he had been matched with.
The pair were both devastated after a painstaking five-month journey involving intense psychological tests, weeks of filming, stag and hen party plans, and even their suit and dress selections, all went down the drain.
But when Paul reached out to Ally off screen the pair instantly bonded, just as the experts had intended all along.
They got engaged in June 2021 and their daughter, Penelope, was born a month later.
The pair finally married last month – four long years after their cancelled TV wedding.
Married at First Sight’s Paul C Brunson and other experts were among the guests, and little Penelope was their flower girl.
Ally, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: “It was better than we expected.
“It was a really fun wedding.
“I was just so happy.”
Ally added: “Paul, the expert, said we were the most organic and genuine match that they have put together.”
“Paul and I were made for each other.”
Ally had signed up to the show after four years of online dating, while Paul spotted an ad on Facebook.
Just days before the ceremony was due to take place, they joined thousands of other couples who had to call off their weddings during lockdown.
When E4 producers put the pair in contact, they connected over Skype and fell for each other straight away.
Instead of meeting at the altar, a video call that ended up lasting ninety minutes cemented their connection.
As the Covid restrictions eased they met up in person and went from strength to strength – revealing they were pregnant in February 2021.
Paul popped the question by getting down one knee during a romantic picnic on the beach in June 2021.
The loved up couple welcomed their daughter Penelope a month later on 3 July 2021, weighing 8lbs 1oz when she was born at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol.
At that time, they were the first MAFS couple to have a baby together.
Ally said: “It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind – meeting, falling in love, getting engaged and falling pregnant – but we are just so happy.
“Having our little girl, Penelope, has just been the icing on the cake.”
After settling into family life they started planning their wedding, and tied the knot on 8 June at the iconic Brighton Pavilion.
And this marriage is legally binding – unlike the TV weddings which are commitment ceremonies where couples exchange vows and rings, and promise to give the experiment their all.
“It was a small, intimate one,” explained Paul who wore the same blue three piece suit he had picked out for their TV wedding.
Ally opted for a £100 dress she found on ASOS after not feeling as comfortable in her original wedding gown.
She said: “It didn’t fit how it used to.
“I didn’t feel confident in it anymore.
“It’s about feeling confident. It’s got little sleeves and is frilly. It matches Penny’s.”
Penelope walked down the aisle first followed by the bridesmaids and then Ally.
Ally said: “She loved being a little princess for the day. We just felt so proud of her.”
The couple are enjoying married bliss so far and are planning to go to Morocco for their honeymoon in September.
“People say it doesn’t feel different but it does for me. I feel more connected,” added Ally.
“It’s lovely having the same surname.
“I’m happier that it has worked out this way. We got to plan everything we wanted.”
Find out more about your favourite Married At First Sight Australia Season 6 stars
