MAFS groom Matt Ridley reveals all the romantic details of his surprise wedding to Dominique Nielsen
EXCLUSIVE: Married At First Sight groom Matthew Ridley pulled off a very special surprise when he married the "love of his life" Dominique Nielsen in a secret ceremony.
Friends of the Season 9 groom gathered under the guise of an engagement party this month, but it was soon revealed to be a beautiful wedding celebration.
Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now.
Speaking to 9Entertainment, Matt shared the romantic details of the pair's big day, which took place almost two years to the day of when they first met.
Their immediate families had been present for a wedding ceremony earlier in the day, and it was Dom's 11-year-old son Heath who revealed the special news to the rest of their guests.
Matt Ridley is married! Rory Carmody/Supplied
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"When they arrived, my brother was telling guests, 'Matt and Dom are just getting some photos taken up by the pool, they'll be here soon," Matt explained.
"Then our 11-year-old son burst through the doors and said 'I've got an announcement!' He said a few words and then he turned the sign over from engaged to married, and then in popped the bride and groom dancing to some music and to the roars of the crowd."
The couple decided then decided on turning an existing holiday to Bali into a honeymoon.
"We didn't want a big wedding, and so we said 'let's make it a surprise for our friends'. And honestly, it all worked amazingly."
Matt and Dominique tied the knot a week before the two-year anniversary of their first meeting. Instagram
Matt and Dom each recalled their favourite moment, seeing each other for the first time on the day.
"It was a very emotional ceremony, and I think the moment that we saw each other was it kind of summed up how we felt, why we were doing what we were doing," Dom explained.
"Dom was walked down the aisle by Heath and I just started crying to be honest, I couldn't hold it in!" Matt agreed.
During Season 9 of the experiment, Matt was matched with Kate Laidlaw but their relationship failed to make it to Final Vows – and perhaps unsurprisingly, his TV marriage was used for laughs.
"There were some good jokes on the night that my marriage to Dom was going to last longer than my marriage on TV," he laughed.
Matt proposed to Dominique in March, 18 months after the pair met.
The group received a huge amount of support from his followers following the news. Instagram
Speaking to 9Entertainment at the time, Matt said he knew very early that this relationship was "it" for him.
"We went on three dates in the first three nights," Matt recalled of their early meeting in September 2022. "We were both very smitten. We could tell this relationship was something special. I knew very early on that that Dominique was the one for me."
He proposed on Noosa's Little Cove Beach – a special holiday spot for the couple.
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Now married, the pair felt like they were living a "fairytale".
"We just knew straight away that we're going to spend the rest of our life together – we're both looking at each other now, just gazing into each other's eyes," Matt said with a laugh.
"We're still on cloud nine."
Stream every episode of Married At First Sight for free on 9Now.
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