Who are the MAFS 2026 couples? The brides and grooms matched by the experts

Love is in the air as another season of Married At First Sight hits our screens and the question everyone is begging to know: who have the experts matched this time around?

Want the official inside scoop on MAFS, unfiltered and unseen? Watch After The Dinner Party here

Between opposites who attract and pairs who'll challenge each other, experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla have chosen from thousands of applicants to create couples who they think are the perfect match.

See who they've coupled up so far below:

Chris and Sam

Chris and Sam's vows revealed they had very similar interests and lifestyles.

Sam, 34, owns a successful fitness studio in Adelaide and his idea of romance is getting his hand dirty around a campfire.

By the sounds of it farmer Chris, 38, couldn't be a better match. Although he blends his country lifestyle with the city as he also runs a gym in Redfern.

With sincere intentions and open minds Chris and Sam aligned almost perfectly – but as always there was a catch.

Chris is already expecting two children, one via surrogate and another child he is sperm donor for to his two lesbian friends.

That meant Chris' partner Sam must absolutely want kids because they were already on their way!

It was a matter that hung over Chris' head the whole wedding day but he still refrained from telling Sam, wanting to get to know him better first.

Stephanie and Tyson

When it comes to relationships, Stephanie and Tyson have very different levels of experience.

Stephanie, 32, has never been in a relationship in her adult life and is ready to rip the Band-Aid off.

Tyson, 30, on the other hand, was married once before to a woman from Utah. After that relationship failed he now knows exactly what he wants and doesn't want.

Both Stephanie and Tyson reject "woke culture", so on paper it seemed their values would align perfectly but as their wedding day unfolded it became clear that wasn't the case.

Tyson didn't approve of career-driven Stephanie and said he wanted a "submissive" wife who'd "take a back seat" to his life.

From there the alarm bells were sounding off for Stephanie.

Juliette and Joel

Juliette, 27, is hoping to find her equally eccentric soulmate.

She's dreaming of a man who will celebrate who she is, and not dim her light: "I want a goofball, I want a man who makes me laugh". 

She tied the knot with Joel, 31, a groom who admits he "laughs at everything" including himself. 

After his last breakup, Joel felt like a "broken man" and so underwent his incredible transformation, losing 20 kgs and gaining a new outlook on life. 

Both were smitten with one another's big personalities at the altar but by the time the reception came around, Juliette worried Joel and his mother were just making a joke out of the day with their outrageous speeches.

EXCLUSIVE: Joel unpacks mum's 'horrifying' wedding speech and the confrontation you didn't see on TV

Stella and Filip

Lithuanian bride Stella, 32, moved to Australia on her own almost a decade ago.

Since then, she's built herself a life that's only missing a man to love and build a family with.

The experts matched her with 38-year-old Filip, who knew just how brave that made Stella as he grew up knowing his parents moved their family from Croatia when he was a baby.

After giving up his party boy ways and finding much more disciplined life, Filip said he was "totally prepared to fall in love and find the missing piece" – and hopefully that would be Stella.

The couple couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces after they finally crossed paths, but their wedding wasn't all smooth sailing.

After Filip revealed he had a YouTube channel in his vows, Stella's friends started waving the red flags.

Bridesmaid Leila confronted the groom directly, but he insisted he was there for the right reasons and the only person he needed to prove that too was his bride.

Julia and Grayson

Julia's discussions with the experts looked a little different than usual, as the 35-year-old bisexual bride had no preference for whether she married a man or a woman.

It was only when she walked down the aisle that she learned she would have a husband, as she met 34-year-old Grayson.

EXCLUSIVE: MAFS bride Julia answers biggest question about her bisexuality: 'I've dated all kind of flavours'

He arrived with extra faith in the experiment, as the close friend of Johnny Balbuziente, who is now married and shares a child with wife Kerry after meeting on MAFS 2021.

"I want to fall in love and I know this experiment can work, I've seen it first hand," Grayson said.

Julia was hoping for a "cosmic connection".

"The most important thing is that when we lock eyes, there is a spark," she explained – and luckily, that's exactly what she got.

Their connection only grew as Julia told Grayson about her sexuality, as the groom said that "doesn't bother me whatsoever".

They ended the night with a romantic chat amongst the twinkling lights of Sydney Harbour.

Both were on the exact same page - and sealed it with a kiss!

Rebecca and Steve

Rebecca told the experts that she was looking for her "silver fox", and boy did they deliver.

The 51-year-old empty nester walked down the aisle where 50-year-old Steve stood at the altar waiting, silver hair and all.

"I hope the way today plays out, I meet the love of my life. That's the dream," Steve said.

READ MORE: MAFS best man already known by 12 million: Who is Will Parfitt and why is he famous?

"I want the 50s and beyond to be the best time of my life… I'm ready to fall in love."

Both with children of their own, Rebecca, one boy and Steve, four girls, the pair instantly hit it off.

"We stand before one another as strangers, and yet this doesn't feel like the beginning of something unfamiliar. It feels like the next chapter in what's been a long, ongoing search for someone who sees me," Rebecca said in her vows.

Steve shared that he loves the finer things in life, including "a glass of wine or two or three, or we could just have the bottle", a statement that went down swimmingly with Rebecca.

"I can't believe how happy I am right now," she said.

Some are calling it the most romantic wedding of the season, so let's hope these two last the distance.

Bec and Danny

In one of the more unpredictable weddings of the season, 34-year-old Danny from London was looking for a "ride or die" relationship.

He was matched with energetic bride Bec, 35, who on first impression liked what she saw until Danny's "ride or die" metaphor went a little too far.

"I'm looking for a Bonnie and Clyde type of love... If I ever get locked up in prison, I'd like you to bail me out," Danny read out his vows.

EXCLUSIVE: Jilted bride Mel reveals wedding day disaster you didn't see on TV

The line threw Bec off, who sobbed saying she was looking for someone serious, not someone who's going to "get arrested".

But Danny assured her he's here for the right reasons and she realised that maybe judging him so quickly was a little unfair.

Brook and Chris

The experts were up for quite the challenge when they matched sceptical groom Chris, 31, with model Brook, 27.

Chris brought his relentless positivity to his vows, as he told his new wife he hoped they could be "the 0.0001 per cent that works from this experiment".

Within just minutes of meeting his bride, he's thinking they would be.

Brook however was icked out by her husband's "diva" antics after he complained the whole way through their rainy wedding shoot.

READ MORE: MAFS' bride Gia reveals she has 'beef' and names 'arch nemesis' co-star

But at the reception, she quickly bonded with his family and realised maybe he does have a soft heart under that tough exterior.

Mel and Luke

Mel, 28, is a "pink girly" looking for her "blue", a rugged man to sweep her off her feet and make her feel like a Disney princess.

Farmer Luke, 30, has put his love life on hold for many years following the death of his father.

His ideal partner is a quietly confident, feminine woman and so far, their wedding was a real-life rom-com in the making, until...

Luke forgot the rings at home and left his bride-to-be Mel standing alone at the altar.

But the disaster didn't stop there.

EXCLUSIVE: Jilted bride Mel reveals wedding day disaster you didn't see on TV

After his late arrival, Mel was turned off when Luke spat out his gum mid-ceremony and handed it to his sister.

Like Luke's wedding day arrival, is Mel and Luke's chemistry just a case of bad timing? Or will things fail to launch between the pair?

Gia and Scott

Unlike Mel and Luke, our next match is sizzling with undeniable chemistry.

Gia, 35, is a self-proclaimed "catch" who is much more than her blonde hair, implants, bold outfit wearing, tattooed "stereotype".

Scott, 33, is also much more than his gym-going, fast-car-driving persona.

Their wedding day was everything they imagined, but hidden behind Gia's smile was a huge personal secret.

MAFS EPISODE 1 RECAP: Newlyweds' explosive row at the altar as bride rejects groom

She worried that when Scott would find out she has a daughter, the news would change everything.

Despite Gia's tears and concerns, Scott was completely unfazed.

Could this be one of the most hopeful matches of the season?

Alissa and David

There'll be no shortage of excitement with high-energy bride Alissa, 33, around.

The nurse admits that she can sometimes be blunt and direct but is looking for someone who can be the calm to her storm.

Enter David. The 31-year-old is cool, calm and collected but don't take that to mean he's boring!

The e-commerce product manager is also an ambitious rapper who wants a goal-oriented woman to build a life with.

READ MORE: How to follow the MAFS 2026 brides and grooms on Instagram

On their wedding day, the physical attraction was undeniable but there was also a clear tussle for power between Alissa and David at the altar.

Will it be a clash of the titans for these two alphas? Or a case of meeting their equal?

Rachel and Steven

Sometimes opposites attract and other times you need someone just like you!

For Rachel, 35, and Steven, 34, it was the latter.

With their matching goofball personalities and quirky senses of humour there was instant friendship between the two.

READ MORE: Meet the real-life partners of MAFS experts John Aiken, Mel Schilling and Alessandra Rampolla

Only time will tell if these two down-to-earth larrikins will find a spark that develops the romance.

Want the official inside scoop on MAFS, unfiltered and unseen? Watch After The Dinner Party here. Episodes stream weekly, immediately following the explosive Married at First Sight Dinner Party episode on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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