Exclusive:Call out for couples to tie the knot live on stage during Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Fringe show One Hour Wedding is putting out a call for at least six couples who want to tie the knot during a show in August - so their planned marriage can be registered with the authorities in time for a legal ceremony to take place on stage during their three week run.

Australian performers Roz Pappalardo and Rachel Terry, themselves a marriage celebrant and a former wedding florist respectively, will lead the audience in planning the couples’ weddings, including writing their vows, choreographing their first dance and choosing their outfits.

Other key members of the wedding party, including the best man or bridesmaids, can be chosen from - and by - the audience.

“We will ask the audience to make a whole bunch of decisions before the actual wedding and then we’ll marry them, it’s as simple as that,” said Ms Pappalardo. “We then construct the ceremony from the choices they’ve made.”

Ms Terry said: “We’re basically cutting down the planning stage from two years to 15 minutes. I feel like it’s a cross between a Las Vegas wedding and MAFS [Married At First Sight].”

The pair have no idea how many couples are likely to volunteer to get married, so have a back up plan in case all of their 17 shows are not filled by live weddings.

Ms Pappalardo said: “We may get more couples, but we’re aiming for a minimum of six. For the rest of the shows, we’ll use theatrical licence and maybe grab random couples from the audience and that will be fun.

“They won’t be legally married, but even if they don’t get the paperwork in, they can go through the ceremony with us and have the experience, then they can go to the registry office later and do it. We’ve got to allow for that flexibility.”

Ms Terry added: “If we can get 17 couples, genius, if not, we can just make it work. If there are no couples in the audience, we’ll find a couple of single people and just marry them.”

“It’s also for people who can’t afford a full wedding, they can do it all on stage for the cost of the licence.”

In Scotland, couples planning to marry need to submit forms and necessary documents to a registrar no later than 29 days before the date of a marriage or civil partnership, however Registers of Scotland recommends couples give them 10 to 12 weeks’ notice to ensure the registration goes smoothly.

A local celebrant has been chosen to officiate at the ceremonies, as Ms Pappalardo’s accreditation in Australia will not be legally binding in the UK.

“He lives around the corner and goes to the festival every year and used to work at Assembly when he was in his 20s,” says Ms Pappalardo. “He’s basically perfect.”

Ms Papparlado and Ms Terry plan to continue their own long term relationship with the couples involved, with one of the terms and conditions of the agreement stating, “We keep in touch and every year have champagne on the date of your anniversary”.

Last year, performers Linus Karp and Joseph Martin held their wedding on stage at the Fringe, with a ticketed event at the Pleasance attended by friends, family and audience members listed in the Fringe brochure, separate to their show The Fit Prince.

Couples who want to get married as part of One Hour Wedding can contact Ms Terry and Ms Pappalardo through their Instagram page @onehourwedding1 or their website, https://www.randrproductions.com.au/ .

One Hour Wedding will be on at Friesian at Underbelly on Bristo Square from 5 to 23 August.