The weddings on Married At First Sight (MAFS) might not be legally binding, but that doesn’t mean producers don’t go all out to make things look as real as possible. Besides the white dress, romantic (or sometimes cringey) vows and glittery reception, the reality show hires actual wedding celebrants to officiate the nuptials.
One of these people is Beverly Simmons-Hurtado, who has been marrying couples in the real world for almost 18 years and has made several cameos on the show. She was the celebrant for Olivia Frazer and Jackson Lonie in 2022, Josh White and Melissa Sheppard in 2023, Morena Farina and Tony Mojanovski in 2025, and from this year’s season, Gia Fleur and Scott McCristal.
Following her appearance in Tuesday night’s episode, Beverly told PEDESTRIAN.TV all about her first impressions of Gia and Scott, whether she thinks they’ll last, and what viewers didn’t see on TV.
MAFS celebrant reveals first impressions of Gia and Scott
Having married some of the most memorable pairings in the show’s history, Beverly admitted she has high hopes for Gia and Scott’s relationship.
“My first impression of Gia and Scott is that they’re both absolutely gorgeous, a good-looking couple. The first time they saw each other, I felt that there was chemistry there, and I think they actually seemed to have the same personality,” she said.
“I am completely and utterly hopeful that Gia and Scott will work out. I can only say, from my first experience of when they first saw each other, that they had something there, a little bit of spark in the eye. So I’m really, really hopeful that they will stay together.”
Despite her optimism, Beverly admitted that she’s used to seeing her MAFS pairings crash and burn as the experiment progresses.
“I find that when you do continue with the show, there are personality changes, or, I guess, the real personality comes out. Sometimes I believe that’s the reason why couples don’t stay in this show,” she shared.
“I do believe sometimes personalities do come out, and sometimes each individual does or doesn’t appreciate that. Really hard to say, but I do hope that Gia and Scott last and they stay to the end at the commitment ceremony.”
How much information are MAFS celebrants told about the weddings?
Beverly explained that MAFS celebrants get a briefing from producers ahead of each wedding about where to stand and what to do at particular moments of the ceremony — like how they step out of the way when the couple share their first kiss.
“At times, you sort of just rely on producers and whoever’s there on set to give you that information,” she said.
What’s interesting, however, is how Luke Fourniotis and Mel Akbayir’s celebrant seemed out of the loop when the bride walked down the aisle with her groom nowhere to be seen. Beverly admitted she was “surprised” watching the episode and predicted the producers might not have told the celebrant that Luke was running late — likely to cause extra drama and chaos.
“I think she carried herself really well given the fact that it is a little bit unusual that the bride arrived before the groom, but I do feel sorry for her not actually knowing,” she said. “I mean, you are sort of directed by the producers in terms of timings and conversations, and you know where to go and where to stand. But I think she carried herself really, really well.”
We’ll have to wait and see if either Gia and Scott or Luke and Mel make it to the end of the experiment and become the show’s next love story, but just know their chance of success has virtually nothing to do with the celebrants officiating. After all, they’re really just trying their best as the producers stir the pot behind the scenes.
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