Your wedding is meant to be perfect in every way, but shell-shocked Married at First Sight NZ groom Ben Blackwell wants to forget his nuptials ever happened.
“It was the worst day of my life,” reveals the 26-year-old, who tied the knot with ambulance officer Aaron Chisholm in a tense clifftop ceremony on Married at First Sight NZ.
“As horrible as it sounds, I just wanted to write off the day. I’m a pretty confident person, but the situation was so overwhelming, I just couldn’t be myself. There was so much going on in my head – I wanted to stay, I wanted to run, my thoughts were everywhere and I couldn’t think straight.”
Could this be the look of love? “Never at any point would I have walked out on Aaron,” says Ben.
The well-groomed city slicker squirmed at the altar and refused to look his groom in the eyes. But he denies suggestions he was turned off by Aaron, telling Woman’s Day that despite their lacklustre chemistry, the pair are committed to giving things a go.
“I’ve marched in the pouring rain for my right to do this – marriage is not something I take lightly,” says Ben, an Auckland insurance consultant.
“Never at any point would I have walked out on Aaron. I have a ring on my finger and that means something.”
Giving hubby Ben a piggy back, Aaron insists he’s in it for the long haul – but can they carry it off?
Yet the couple realise they have a tough road ahead. Despite the Three show’s relationship experts believing they’re a perfect match, Aaron says they clash
over many things.
“Because Ben was so drunk on the night of our wedding, I don’t think he realised I was having a horrible time,” tells Aaron, 26.
“Ben’s method was to just get through the day, whereas in my mind, I was like, ‘This is my wedding day and we haven’t even spoken to each other.’ Of course I’m going to be upset – from the get-go, there was a disconnect.”
During their honeymoon – three nights alone at their coastal Auckland wedding venue – Aaron enjoyed the serenity and camping trips in the nearby wilderness, while Ben longed to return to city life with his friends and fast Wi-Fi.
“We found common ground on a few things, like our love of family and travel, but we both questioned why we’d been matched,” explains Ben. “Our relationship isn’t going to work just because we both like exploring the world – every millennial likes travel!”
However, both are hoping the experiment works. “We’re committed to working through what we are and what we could be,” says Aaron. “Maybe it wasn’t love at first sight, but we came into this knowing marriage was never going to be a walk in the park.”
