Don’t Tell The Bride: 11 things you didn’t know about the hit wedding show

There's been many an episode of DTTB that has had us screaming at the TV in frustration as the hapless groom picks the ONE dress that the bride has specifically said she'd hate to wear.Which then leads into us having a huge rant about how if we were on the show, we'd make sure that we'd have sat with our OH before filming and told him EXACTLY what we would want for our big day.With the exact design of our perfect dress being at the top of the list.Well that rant is no longer justified as we've found out that the DTTB contract signed by the couples states that they aren't allowed to plan anything in advance. At all.And for any sneaky couple who has managed to confer about wedding dos and don't, if the production team get wind of this, then the idea has to be scrapped.So there you have it. No planning allowed.

In some cases, couples who have applied for DTTB are contacted within a week by the production company and after that its all systems go!Once the process is underway, the grooms are given 3 weeks to organise absolutely everything for the big day.Yikes.

Producers are very strict when it comes to making sure that the bride has no idea what her fiancé has got planned for her.The brave couples are instructed to shut down the Facebook pages, hand over phones and any address books, phone numbers and possible wedding notes. The bride and groom are allowed a temporary phone whilst filming goes on but these phones are basis with no wifi and under no circumstances is the couple allowed to swap numbers.

Contact between all family members is also VERY closely monitored. Phone calls between the bridal party and the groom are filmed from both sides to make sure that no one discusses the wedding.The show really is that strict.

Any fans of the show will be use to this classic DTTB scene: It's the night of the hen party and the lucky bridal party are seen having an amazing time and can't mention enough what a great job the groom has done. Until the night draws to an end and a member of staff has to awkwardly to tell the bride that she has been lumped with the bill.For her OWN hen do.It ALWAYS seems to happen and it ALWAYS ends with a frantic attempt by the disgruntled bridesmaids to club together to cover the nights costs. And then we get to watch the mother of the bride tell the camera that she is less than chuffed with her future son-in-law's efforts.However, past grooms of the show have revealed that they were told by producers that the hen pays for their own hen party and that they're not allowed to put any of the wedding budget towards it.So what this means really is that some of the scenes we see on the show have been manipulated by the producers for maximum entertainment.Are we shocked by this revelation? No, not really.

One of the main perks of appearing on DTTB (and probably the reason why most couples put themselves forward for the show) is the £14,000 wedding budget that is given to each couple.However at no point does the groom actually have contact with the money. And they are made to wait for clearance before they are able to purchase anything.So although some grooms might have a lot of really great ideas for the big day, the constant wait for clearance means that they have to scrap some of those ideas as there isn't enough time to fit them all in.

Planning a wedding is a huge task and so we could forgive our fiancé for forgetting something for the big day. But whereas that might not be a problem under normal circumstances, for any DTTB bride, its a massive deal.Particularly if, say, that he's forgotten to book the bridal party's wedding cars.And the producers don't tell you this until around FIVE minutes before you're meant to leave for the ceremony.

Some couples on the show have had a cameraman following them around and filming them every day from 8am to 12pm.That's a SIXTEEN hour day.Most days.For THREE weeks.

We're not kidding.DTTB has been running for 10 whole series and in that time, the surprised (and sometimes very angry) brides have ended up saying their vows in the craziest of venues.There's been a ceremony in an underground cave, a wrestling ring and even on a rollercoaster at Thorpe Park.And who could forget the reaction of bride, Hayley, when she found out that she would be getting married underwater.In the swimming pool at the local leisure centre.Sigh.

OK so we might be stating the obvious with this one…But it is still valid.Weddings are stressful at the best of times- and particularly so for the grooms in DTTB who have been given the task to decide every little detail that will go towards creating the perfect day!And then they have the added pressure of having a camera in their face. And constantly being asked how they're feeling, what they're thinking and what their next planning move will be.We're getting flustered just thinking about it.

OK, so this isn't based on any first hand knowledge.But still…Apart from a few car crash TV moments (who can forget THAT Vegas nightmare), the vast majority of the couples who have appeared on DTTB have said afterwards what an amazing experience it was for them.Brides of the show have been blown away with the level of thought, organisation and effort that their other halves have put into the whole process.Aww.