I nearly died of a jellyfish sting, so why did my fiancé plan an underwater wedding?

After being stung by a deadly jellyfish in Australia, Lauren Dongray, 34, from Essex, never expected her fiancé Gary, 36, to plan a surprise underwater wedding in an aquarium.

I met Gary 10 years ago on the dating site, Plenty of Fish. After just one day of messaging, we went on a date and hit it off instantly. Soon enough, we were spending all our time together, exploring new places and travelling the world with each other.

Three years into our relationship, Gary asked me to marry him, and there was no question – the answer was obviously 'Yes!' While I’ve never been someone who dreamed about their wedding day, I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with Gary.

I always said I never wanted a big wedding. I was just happy to get married in a registry office or go to Vegas, just the two of us. To be honest, I’ve never wanted to spend thousands and thousands on a big white wedding just to impress other people.

I was going to say, "Let’s do something low-key for the wedding," until Gary's brother tagged us in a Facebook ad for the Channel 4 show Don’t Tell The Bride. We suddenly thought, 'Why the hell not?!' At this point, we’d only been engaged for a month, and although I wanted a long engagement, they were looking for Essex-based couples and we figured it was worth a shot.

It would mean a free wedding, as the TV company cover all expenses up to £14,000 and no stress on my behalf, as the point of the show is Gary would have to come up with all the ideas.

To be honest, we applied as a joke. But after a few months of intense interviews and meet-and-greets with our wedding party, we got a call saying that we were on the show.

Going on TV

As part of the rules, Gary and I weren’t allowed to see or speak to each other in the three weeks that he had to plan the wedding. That was the hardest part. We were already living together at the time, so I moved out with our dog, Gizmo, and into my mum and dad’s house. I kept reminding myself it would be worth it.

Since Gary and I moved in together, I’ve always been responsible for our finances and budgeting. Although I wasn’t asking for much on our wedding day, I was worried about him splashing out on his stag do and spending the £14,000 budget we were given on a night out with his boys. Thankfully, he kept it low-key and spent a day go-karting in Newcastle, followed by a night at the strippers.

An unusual theme

When it came to the actual wedding day, I had no idea what to expect as Gary wasn’t allowed to tell me anything. I had seen the show before, though, and knew how quirky some of them could be. I had an early start to the day getting my hair and makeup done – the usual things that happen before a wedding, so I thought we were off to a good start.

But when I opened the door to find my bridesmaids dressed as mermaids, I was completely dumbfounded. They were dressed in these tacky yellow and green dresses, complete with pearls and seashells, and I didn’t know what to do except laugh. I was expecting something outrageous, but this was another level.

I was supposed to be picked up at 11am but didn’t end up getting picked up until nearly three hours later. I was surprisingly relaxed about them coming so late, but I had to keep reassuring my mum everything was fine.

We got married on the 3rd June, one of the hottest days of the year, and after spending four hours in the car, I just wanted to get to the venue. It was so hot, and I had no idea where we were going or what was going on. At this point, I had already been waiting all morning and had been in my dress for nearly seven hours. So, when we finally pulled up to Sea Life in Manchester, I was as shocked as I was relieved to be there.

The big day

I was speechless when the guide at Sea Life introduced himself, handed me a wetsuit and oxygen helmet, and explained that I was getting married in the tank. A few years earlier, I was stung by an Irukandji jellyfish – one of the deadliest types – in Australia. I was airlifted to hospital and had to be brought back to life using a defibrillator.

I spent a few days in intensive care from the bite and nearly died. So for Gary to plan our wedding underwater, surrounded by sharks and jellyfish, was a big risk. I didn’t understand why he chose that at first, but when he explained it was because we met on Plenty of Fish, I thought it was so thoughtful of him to go back to our roots.

The last thing that I expected on my wedding day was to have to put on a wetsuit underneath my wedding dress. I’m quite an adventurous person, but the wedding was certainly different from what I thought it would be.

As I was going underwater, I just kept thinking, 'This is what Gary wants, this is what he wants.' My favourite part of the day was finally seeing Gary. Although, funnily enough, I got him and his best man mixed up as they were both wearing oxygen helmets, and I wasn’t sure who was who. I didn’t know who I was supposed to be walking over to until I remembered that Gary was the taller one!

We said our vows underwater, and it was the most incredible experience. It was hilarious, emotional and an unforgettable day. I have to say, Gary did an amazing job. I feel so lucky that we were able to have our closest friends and family – especially at such short notice – with us on our wedding day.

Thankfully, the second half of our wedding was on the ground. Gary had a second identical dress for me to change into, and my hair and make-up were protected by the oxygen mask, so you couldn’t even tell that I had been underwater. The reception was held at the Manchester Rugby Club – definitely not my first choice for a venue, but Gary had done such a great job at decorating that it didn’t matter.

Married life

It’s now been more than seven years since that crazy day, and Gary and I have started our own family. We have two kids – a four-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter – and have moved house three times, which we wouldn’t have been able to afford if we had spent loads on the wedding, so it was definitely worth the stress!

Gary and I have also started our own companies. I’ve got my own physio company called Elite Sports Therapy, where we do sports massage and acupuncture, and Gary has a mobile body repair shop in London called London Bumper Repair.

Overall, I wanted a simple, inexpensive wedding. And while it was anything but simple, I had all the people I love most in one room, drinking, dancing and celebrating our love. I wouldn’t have had our wedding any other way. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. To this day, I am still so proud of and grateful to Gary for planning everything.

You can watch other episodes of Don't Tell The Bride on Channel 4.

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