Jilted Married At First Sight bride Melissa Akbay speaks out after the most humiliating wedding in show history: 'I felt like I was a joke'

Married At First Sight bride Melissa Akbay has broken her silence after one of the most awkward weddings in the show's history left her humiliated.

Viewers watched in disbelief as the sweet, girl-next-door bride walked down the aisle to discover her groom Luke Fourniotis was nowhere to be seen - a first for the franchise.

Speaking to Daily Mail on Wednesday, Melissa has revealed the full emotional toll of the disastrous ceremony, admitting the moment replayed all the fear, anxiety and heartbreak she felt on the day.

'It was really nerve-wracking watching it back,' Melissa said.

'I didn't really know what to expect. But watching it again just made me feel all of those emotions all over again. I felt nervous and anxious.'

Melissa arrived at the ceremony blissfully unaware that Luke's wedding day had already unravelled behind the scenes - Halfway to the venue, Luke realised he had forgotten the rings, forcing his limo to turn back in a frantic race against the clock.

By the time Melissa stepped out of her car, it was too late.

'I was so excited. In my mind, I was thinking my mum's probably met him, my sister's probably met him. I was imagining it a thousand times,' she said.

'But as I walked down the aisle, no one was turning around. My friends weren't smiling. Then I realised there was nobody there waiting for me.'

The realisation hit hard.

'I immediately felt a bit heartbroken,' Melissa admitted.

'I'd spent so long getting ready, writing my vows. I just felt like everyone was going to think of me as a joke.'

When Luke eventually arrived - chewing gum and flustered - the damage was already done.

'I didn't know what to think,' she said.

'I'd put my heart into those vows. When I noticed he was chewing gum, I thought, are you even listening to what I'm saying? This was a big deal for me.'

The moment he spat the gum out only made things worse.

'I had my family and best friends watching this. I thought, what are they going to think? It just gave me the ick.'

At the reception, viewers noticed Melissa keeping her distance from Luke, despite his visible attempts to make amends.

'He totally was making an effort,' she said.

'But the whole experience was so overwhelming. It started on such a wrong foot and I just couldn't calm myself down. I wasn't myself. I was so anxious.'

Melissa admitted she was already questioning whether she'd made the right decision.

'Everything was running through my head,' she said.

'I knew he was trying, and I appreciated that, but I was thinking, have I made the right choice?'

Asked whether things could have been different if Luke had been on time, Melissa didn't hesitate.

'I do think it would have made a difference,' she said.

'That moment where the bride walks down the aisle and the groom looks at her - I didn't get that. That sucked for me.'

Despite the rocky start, Melissa insists she wasn't ready to walk away.

'There were moments at the wedding where I thought, should I even be doing this?' she said.

'But I'm not someone who throws in the towel. I wasn't going to give up after the wedding.'

Melissa also revealed Luke is not her usual type, joking that her ideal man wouldn't resemble her brother.

'I think Luke is attractive, but he's not my usual type,' she laughed.

'My usual type is someone who doesn't look like my brother.'

Away from the altar drama, Melissa also opened up about the cracks forming among the brides, admitting she was shocked by the lack of sisterhood.

'I was expecting that sisterhood,' she said.

'When there's tension between the girls, you start thinking, where is my safe place?'

While she confirmed friendships did form, she hinted that feuds between big personalities will make this season explosive.

'It's like watching tennis,' she said.

'You're looking left, then right, then back again. There's no clear good or evil.'

Melissa also addressed the backlash she has faced since the episode aired, calling out cruel online commentary.

'The comments are super hurtful,' she said.

'They're coming from people who've never experienced something like that. When people have no empathy, it's really hard.'

She added: 'I would never comment on someone's appearance or personality. People should be ashamed of themselves.'

Despite the chaos, Melissa says she joined the experiment for one simple reason.

'I'd been single, and everyone around me was walking down the aisle,' she said.

'I thought it was my turn.'