It wasn’t love at first sight for Luke Fourniotis and Mel Akbayir when they met at the altar on Married At First Sight.
The pair’s union got off to a turbulent start on Tuesday, February 3, when Luke, 30, forgot the rings, leaving his bride alone at the altar while he went back for them.
Things then went from bad to worse when Mel, 28, was left cringing over Luke chewing gum during her vows.
She appeared unimpressed by her match, despite him seeming like her perfect person on paper.
Describing her ideal man, Mel said, “I want someone who will always carry the grocery bags, I want someone who will always fix a light bulb or put air in my tyres. That’s my mission, I want to find the blue to my pink.”
And Luke seemed like her ideal match, holding those traditional values dear to him, while they both have a shared love of rom-coms.
“My dream girl would be someone who’s positive, doesn’t take themselves too seriously, someone who’s quietly confident,” Luke said.
“I’m attracted to soft features, a feminine-looking girl, someone who’s nice.”
However, things quickly went pear-shaped after Luke forgot the rings on their wedding day, meaning he had to rush back and pick them up.
The delay left Mel standing alone at the altar, with the groom having to apologise for his absence when he was the last one to arrive at the ceremony.
After the vows, Mel didn’t appear convinced about her new match, saying there were no romantic sparks between them.
“All I could think about in the back of my head was that I didn’t feel chemistry or anything like that, unfortunately,” she said.
“He doesn’t make me feel that pink feeling that I wanted to feel.”
Later, at their reception, she confided in her mother that she didn’t feel any chemistry with Luke, despite her loved ones saying he seemed like a good match for her.
Despite Luke’s repeated apologies for arriving late, things remained tense between the newlyweds as their marriage got off to a rocky start.
“I think it might be a bit of an ongoing thing for a bit,” Luke said.
“I’m not sure what he’s expecting from me after today,” Mel added to the camera.
Mel said she felt her experience had been “tainted” because of his actions, so is it all over for the couple before it has even begun?
Are Married At First Sight’s Mel and Luke still together?
New Idea understands that the ring drama set the tone for Luke and Mel’s relationship, sealing their fate.
“That disaster set the tone for everything,” a source told us. “Trust issues, hurt feelings and big emotional conversations all come back to that moment.”
“Both Luke and Mel have been desperate for clarity about what actually went wrong,” they added.
“There are still so many unanswered questions.”