A pineapple, a palm tree and a cat! Big Fat Gypsy Weddings returns… and the dresses are more outrageous than ever
The latest series of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings promised to be the biggest yet and that wasn't a lie.
Tonight saw the popular Channel 4 documentary return and show yet another side to traveller life.
Of course the programme centres around young gypsy women getting married, but the series kicked off with a bang and a dress that was like no other.
Bigger and better: The fourth series of Big Fat Gypsy Weddings kicked off by following young bride Dolores (L)
Standing out from the crowd: Dolores and her younger sister wore bright blue and green dresses that resembled palm trees and pineapples
Dolores was one Irish traveller who wasn't going to follow the traditions when it came to her bridal gown.
'I wanted something different,' she said. 'I didn't want anything to do with flowers.'
Her design was described as the most 'outrageous design yet' by Thelma Madine – the dressmaker who has featured on the show since the beginning.
When she presented Dolores with her cat-decorated dress, it was clear to see that she was pleased with the result but that wasn't the only important outfit.
Tricky situation: Dolores found it difficult to leave the house in her huge white wedding dress
Life before marriage: Dolores had been travelling Spain with her family for six months and therefore wanted a Spanish theme for the night before her wedding
Gypsy women admit that the night before their wedding is almost as important as their actual wedding day, and therefore so is their choice of attire.
When viewers were first introduced to Dolores, she was living the high-life in Spain with her sister and the rest of their family.
She had been travelling in the country for the last six months, as they followed her father's 'business dealings,' but was returning to Rathkeale in Ireland for her big day.
Dolores' inspiration for her other outfit was of course her time spent in Spain.
Impressed: The other gypsy girls had never seen dresses like it before and were looking forward to seeing Dolores' wedding gown the next day
The youngster wanted the theme to be Spanish and therefore, she and her younger sibling sported dresses that resembled a palm tree and a pineapple.
The brightly coloured garments were again the first of their kind, and Dolores seemed pleased that she had shocked her fellow travellers with the unusual designs.
But the impressions weren't over as she had ordered a cake that was just as outrageous as her dress.
Being made in North Wales, the sugary treat was made to fit in with the feline theme and featured ten tiers as well as 14 smaller versions of the main cake that would surround it at the wedding reception.
Upstaging the bride: The bridesmaids dresses were pretty unusual too
But for the first time on the show, a trick of the trade was finally revealed.
With requests being so outrageous, the cake maker actually admitted that she was using polystyrene to portray the lavish cake.
'A lot of the times the ideas wouldn't work with cake so we have to use polystyrene,' she said.
But despite the cake not being edible, Dolores was still happy with the outcome.
What a cake! The bride's request included a ten tier design with 14 smaller cakes surrounding it
As she married her salesman husband and partied with her friend and family on the dance floor, it seemed she was looking forward to married life and having her own caravan.
But for a gypsy teenager living up north, who had yet to find a fianc, there was a more important reason for getting their outfits right.
English traveller, Ronnie, 34, had organised a beauty contest and was looking to find the 'next star'.
Once he'd found the perfect venue, he brought in his wife and two local hairdressers to judge the contest where he expected 50 girls to enter.
Money making idea: English traveller Ronnie explained his idea for the beauty contest where he wanted to find the next 'gypsy superstar'
However, the end result saw only four gypsy girls hang around to take part but they were far from excited.
As they cried hysterically backstage and worried about their appearance, they eventually plucked up the courage to do their best catwalk impression to try to impress the panel.
However, despite putting so much effort into planning the event, Ronnie stayed well away from the auditions.
'It's against my beliefs to sit up there and watch them, I'm a married man,' he told the cameras, while the judges came to a decision.
Feeling nervous: The gypsy girls were seen crying and shaking right before their auditions
They settled on crowning Romany gypsy, Montana, the winner but this caused a bit of outrage among the other contestants.
Complaining that her outfit was boring and her make-up too simple, one teen said: 'I'll go on a diet and come back next year but I won't do it as a joke as my brother will break my legs.'
Sammy Jo, 16, was no doubt particularly disappointed as she had put so much effort into looking good for the contest.
We have a winner: Romany gypsy Montana (far left) took home the crown
Despite showing off her rather revealing wedding outfits, the teen declared that she's not allowed to have a mobile phone as her father and brother doesn't want her speaking to boys.
She also revealed that she has never known a traveller girl who has had cancer.
As she prepares to go on the sunbed, she said: 'If i knew someone that got it I would cut it down a bit more, but at the end of the day if I get cancer, I get cancer – at least I'll look good.'
'At least I'll look good': Sammy Jo wasn't bothered about the effects of using a sun bed because she wanted to look her best for the contest
But the urge to look super tanned isn't something that starts at the age of 16 in the gypsy world, in fact it begins at a much younger age.
In St Albans, Hertfordshire, a nine-year-old gypsy girl is seen preparing for her first holy communion and her first stop is a beauty salon.
As she enjoys getting her nails done and gets ready for a spray tan, she says: 'I don't want to look ugly. It's important to look good for God. God wants you to look good.'
Looking good for God: A nine-year-old gypsy girl explains why it is so important to look your best at your first holy communion
Getting ready: The youngster's beauty regime includes having her nails done and getting a spray tan
The youngster is seen sharing her special day with two of her older cousins who all want to out-do one another.
But as they show off their dance moves, and argue about who looks the best following the religious ceremony, viewers are suddenly reminded that they are just children who are trying to look older than their years.