REVIEW: ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding’ is highly entertaining

TLC’s My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, which recently wrapped its first season, is not only a rare glimpse into a group of Irish Travellers living in England, but it also bears witness to a wedding side show for the ages.

Most TV junkies may have shied away from the revealing series based solely on its title, believing it to be another Bridezilla wedding show. Well, I am here to assure you that the wedding bells are only the backdrop. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is much more interested in cultural peculiarities than pure nuptials.

Strict rules are enforced on the women in the community. They almost never finish high school, never are employed outside of their household duties, and are not allowed to drink or sit at a table with the opposite sex. They go from their parents’ house to their husband’s house usually before the age of 20. Yet, they still have some ways of expressing themselves (and quite loudly, for that matter). Whether it’s spray tans for 6-year-olds or provocative teenager outfits that show midriffs and leave nothing to the imagination, these Travellers are all about their unusually flashy style.

The only co-ed social events are weddings, and the young teenagers take full advantage of interacting with the opposite sex at the vibrant parties. In fact, the dancing looks more like it belongs in a go-go bar than at a family gathering. The weddings are often so rowdy that a bride can have a hard time booking a venue. Banquet halls have been known to cancel events when they figure out it’s a gypsy wedding.

The Travellers don’t send invitations; all gypsies travel to these events by word of mouth, and venues are never sure if there will be 100 or 1,000 guests in attendance. The men drink, get rowdy and often throw punches before the night is over.

According to the scenes in the TLC show, this is a small close-knit community that encourages “close” relationships in order to keep outsiders out of their culture. It is not uncommon for cousins to marry. Though everything should be taken with a grain of salt. National Geographic documentary this is not.

Even if you are not a newly wedded bride, you can still appreciate the outrageous bridal gowns. They are so over the top and tacky that you can’t believe your eyes. The dresses tend to weigh in excess of 50 pounds, being so big that they can’t fit inside the doors to the church.

And, yes, the gowns sometimes sport battery-operated features, such as moving butterflies and light bulbs!

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding is by far one of the best reality TV shows to hit American airwaves (the show was originally a hit in the United Kingdom). It appears to be 100-percent real, although at times you wish it weren’t. Tune in to TLC if you want to be mesmerized or if you’re looking for some wedding options.

• My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

• TLC

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