“4 weddings for 1 honeymoon”: Offbeat receptions, separation… The Covid-19 played the spoilsport

His name wasn't on the table plan, but he still invited himself to the party. Worse than an uncle already drunk when the starters are not yet on the table, the Covid-19 has taken on the role of undesirable in many weddings in France for two years, and in particular in the ceremonies of the participants of 4 weddings for 1 honeymoon. Still, the show is back with never-before-seen episodes Monday through Friday at 5 p.m. on TFX.

Normally, the production of the program requires between four and eight months of work. This is the time it takes to film the union of the four couples, edit the first images, show them to the candidates and then conclude with the scene on the porch where the names of the winners are revealed. “Sometimes there were eight weddings filmed at the same time with teams everywhere and a control center in Paris to manage them,” recalls Andréa Palis, producer of the show. But that was before.

4 marriages for 1 divorce

In 2020, 148,000 marriages were celebrated, a decrease of 34% compared to the previous year. Physical distancing, maximum number of guests, restrictions got the better of the frenzied caterpillars at 3 a.m. In 4 weddings for 1 honeymoon, the cameras were therefore sometimes invited to the secular ceremony in September 2020 and then to the reception of the same couple in June 2021.

Shooting with an interval of one year between two marriages, this pushed the teams to be flexible, especially when one of the candidates had to give birth three days before a ceremony. Impossible for her to go, it was Elodie Villemus, the wedding planner of the show, who replaced her at short notice for a special week to discover next Monday.

So much for the good news. Unfortunately, in one year, unforeseen events have also slipped in the way of the protagonists. This is the case of a couple who separated between the filming of their union and that of the balance sheet. “As the revelation of the winner generally arrives two or three months after the wedding, there are not often ruptures. A year later, there are more risks…”, says Andréa Palis. Remained friends, the two former have accepted that the episode dedicated to them is broadcast. If she wins the competition, the bride-judge will go on a trip with her mother or her best friend.

A protocol dedicated to candidates

Telling behind the scenes of filming on screen will not always be necessary “so as not to take the public out of the ceremonies too much, confides the producer. The public hears about Covid-19 all the time so we wanted to take it out of that a bit. “On the other hand, “there are weeks when we had no choice”, as when a candidate will appear pregnant when this was not the case in the previous episode.

As everywhere, the mask has also imposed itself in 4 weddings for 1 honeymoon. When they meet the newlyweds or when they ignite (or not) the dance floor, the bride-judges cover their noses and mouths, unlike the vast majority of guests. “We cannot force them to be tested when they did not ask that we be there, justifies Andréa Palis. On the other hand, it is our duty not to make take any risk with the people who take part in the emission. “Finally, no positive case was to be deplored over the duration of filming.

In addition to the sanitary measures, the program, which is already celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, once again brings together all the ingredients that make it successful, namely a little dream thanks to the glitter and a lot of bad faith thanks to the participants. “They say out loud what everyone thinks in a whisper,” sums up the producer. Even with a mask, the critics are still heard.