Married At First Sight's Luke Fourniotis admits wedding disaster ruined marriage to bride Melissa Akbay from the start: 'The damage was already done'

Married At First Sight descended into chaos this week when groom Luke Fourniotis arrived more than an hour late to his own wedding, forcing bride Melissa Akbay to walk down the aisle alone.

As Luke scrambled to retrieve the forgotten rings, his bride stood waiting at the altar, completely unaware of the frantic dash unfolding behind the scenes.

The chaotic delay saw the Melbourne-based farmer arrive more than an hour late, instantly setting the tone for a wedding that never quite recovered.

Now, speaking to Daily Mail, Luke, 30, admitted the damage may have been done before he even reached the altar.

'That day was probably the most stressed I've ever been,' Luke said.

'I'd never felt nerves like that before.'

Luke revealed he was around an hour and a half late after realising the rings had been left behind and was forced to turn back mid-journey.

'We were about 15 minutes away, then had to turn back for the rings, which was a 45-minute drive,' he explained.

Despite the chaos unfolding behind the scenes, Luke admitted he had a gut feeling Melissa would already be standing at the altar.

'Something just felt off,' he said.

'On a wedding day, you're not meant to rush, and when I got there, it didn't feel right.'

While Luke apologised repeatedly throughout the ceremony and reception, viewers saw Melissa struggle to move past the rocky start, keeping her distance and later confiding in her mother.

Luke says what played out on screen was an accurate reflection of the day.

'What you saw on TV was exactly how it felt in real life,' he said.

'I was trying to lighten the mood, make jokes, make conversation... but being late had a huge impact.'

Although Melissa told him it was 'all good', Luke admitted the issue continued to linger well into the night.

'It felt like the damage was already done,' he said.

Away from his own wedding drama, Luke also weighed in on the growing tension among the brides, with early episodes hinting at a fiery feud between Gia Fleur and Bec Zacharia.

'They're two big personalities,' he said.

'There was already a lot of beef after the hens' night... it's only going to get more heated.'

Luke admitted the clash has made things awkward for the rest of the cast, who are often forced to navigate the fallout during group tasks and social events.

'You can't avoid it,' he said.

'You're all in this experiment together.'

Despite the turbulent start, Luke said the positive response from viewers has been reassuring, admitting one of his biggest fears was not being understood.

'To feel seen has been really validating,' he said.

Luke insists he entered the experiment for genuine reasons and promises to remain honest and vulnerable as the series unfolds.

'I joined this to meet someone,' he said. 'That's what was missing in my life.'