The first IKEA trip can make or break a couple, but one Dublin pair have made it a place of happy memories after they got married in the store.
In tonight’s Don’t Tell the Bride, Ben McQuillan (34) chooses the furniture superstore in Ballymun as the location for his wedding to his partner of nine years Celina Lawlor (31).
The Swords couple, who are parents to three-year-old daughter Penny, are expecting again in the coming weeks and Celina is five months pregnant in tonight’s episode; a factor Ben fails to take into account when choosing a wedding dress for his bride.
But that’s the least of her worries.
While Celina dreams of an elegant, intimate wedding in an old historical building, Ben has visions of them saying “I do” in IKEA – a 300,000 square foot furniture store with 10,000 visitors per day.
Apparently he wants to prove to his bride that they can have happy times in IKEA, instead of always arguing there.
The icing on the cake is the hen party; a cleaning lesson, thoughtfully organised by Celina’s husband-to-be.
In the end, Ben pulls off a beautiful ceremony, followed by a movie-themed reception in a local golf club (and no, they did not dine on meatballs).
It’s a much deserved happy ending for the couple, who tragically lost two babies at birth in 2015 and 2016. Tune in to watch the whole thing (including an adorable reenacted scene from Love Actually) tonight on RTÉ.
