21 Over-The-Top Moments From 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' That Had Us Shook

If reality television is your guilty pleasure, you probably know all about My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding. If you haven't seen it, you need to watch it, like now! Who could resist the big dresses and even bigger drama? The show began as My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding on British television. The lives of these gypsies were so fascinating to us “gorgers”, the American version, My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, came to TLC. These shows have everything you need for great reality television. There are ancient gypsy traditions, such as the “veil of darkness” and boys “pinching” girls to express their interest. Their love lives often include whirlwind romances and love triangles, not unlike your favorite soap opera. Once they get to the wedding, things get even crazier! The dresses, usually made by the wonderful Sondra Celli, are the biggest, brightest dresses you've ever seen. They are usually covered in sparkles and are sometimes too big to get into a car. More often than not, gypsy weddings come with some crazy family feuds. There is plenty of drama, yelling, and even some fights. Here are the 21 most over-the-top moments from the “Gypsy Wedding” series that will leave you speechless, or want your own Sondra Celli dress.

21 That Time A Bride Needed A FlatBed Truck To Get To Her Wedding

Gypsies are very proudly known to wear the most extravagant dresses you have ever seen! It doesn't matter if it is a sweet 16 celebration, Halloween party, or a wedding, they want to be the best dressed, always! Best dressed to them means sparkles, bright colors, a whole lot of volume. Twenty-five year old Greek gypsy Tatiana requested a dress “bigger” and “blingier” than anything famed gypsy dress designer Sondra Celli had ever made. Sondra did not disappoint! It took 19 people a whole three weeks to create this blingy masterpiece. Take a guess at how much it weighs. The answer is 110 pounds! That's a lot of dress! It also involves 1,200 feet of fabric, 500 feet of tubing, and a whopping 50,000 hand-sewn crystals!

When Tatiana and her dress weren't able to get in the car, a flatbed truck and police motorcade came to her rescue.

You might be asking how much a custom dress requiring this much construction, fabric, and bling might cost. $10,000? $20,000? Nope, the retail value is a hefty $40,000! Tatiana and her Kurdish husband were wed in happy, extravagant bliss and they danced the night away with Tatiana wearing a sleeker, but just as blingy second dress. This will always be known as one of the biggest dresses the show has ever seen.

20 That Time The Maid Of Honor Didn't Wait To Leave The Chruch To Throw Down

What happens when you get a bunch of opinionated gypsy women in one room at a wedding no one approves of? That's right, a throw down! Long story short, Heath and Alyssa are madly in love and getting married, as one does. Heath's mother Nettie, who comes from a prominent gypsy family that actually has their own show on TLC, does not approve of Alyssa because she is spreading some bad rumors. Heath and Alyssa are kicked out of Nettie's house and they no longer have the money for a gypsy-esque extravagant wedding. Don't worry, there is still a blingy dress and tiara. After the ceremony, Nettie's sister, who is a known “wild” gypsy named Mellie, has a few negative comments to make about the mother-in-law and about the happy newlyweds. Then, bride Alyssa's cousin and maid of honor comes at Mellie and they literally fight outside of the courthouse. You can't make this up! The two have one of the most epic “Gypsy Wedding” brawls ever! And that's really saying something! Luckily, the two seem to come out fairly unscathed, but the fight really shows the wrath of a disapproving, angry gypsy family. You don't mess with them!

19 That Time First Cousins Fell In Love

Annie and Josh (pictured on the left) seem to have the perfect relationship! There is never a dull moment in their relationship and they “just click”. Annie calls Josh her “honey” and talks about how much she loves him. They even have two super cute dogs. They were planning a “winter wonderland” wedding and had big plans! Sounds perfect right? Well, they are actually first cousins! Yep, you read that right. It is more common than you think to marry your first cousin if you are a Romanichal gypsy.

Even weirder, they have a picture of their shared grandfather hanging up on the wall.

We'll just ignore that and get to the dress. According to TLC, her winter wonderland themed dress displays 80,000 rhinestones and is trimmed with 22 fox skins! It is covered with snowflakes and sparkles. It even lights up! The wedding is going great until the pastor continues to call Josh “Anthony”. Um, that's not his name, man! But the “Romanified” dress and winter wonderland decor steal the show. Besides the whole cousin thing, Josh and Annie seem to have a pretty normal relationship and had a mellow wedding compared to other gypsies. Good for them!

18 That Time We Were Introduced To Crazy Swayze… And His Mama Bear

Get ready, this one is a doozy! Meet "Peewee" or "Crazy Swayze", not sure if anyone knows his actual name. He loves Patrick Swayze so much he has a tattoo on his chest in his honor. What a sweet guy! He follows his own rules when it comes to love. He meets gorger (non-gypsy) girlfriend Brittany on the Internet. He wants to go all out and meet Brittany for the first time at the altar. Romantic right?! Peewee's mother, Lottie, is an old-school gypsy woman. She absolutely does not approve of her son's marriage because Brittany is a gorger (non-gypsy) and has not asked Lottie's permission to marry her son. Lottie claims “the wedding will not go on”. But it does! Brittany's dress and Peewee's suit are super orange, which is Peewee's favorite color. While waiting to get married, Brittany is just hanging out on a golf course, minding her own business. Then Lottie shows up, screaming and waving her cane around! Brittany handles it extremely well and keeps to herself. Eventually, Peewee shows up to defend his bride and makes his mother leave. What lesson can we learn from this one? Sometimes you have to bend the rules a little to find love in the gypsy world.

17 That Time A Gypsy Girl Went Looking For A Husband On Halloween

In Romanichal gypsy culture, it is extremely important for the women to find a husband early and become a housewife. The dating process starts very early and the gypsy men look for a woman who knows how to cook and clean like crazy. This tradition is very strong in the family of 14-year-old gypsy, Priscilla.

She left school at the age of 12 to learn the gypsy housewife ways.

She claims she “feels empty” if she doesn't clean and it is fun for her. Not a lot of 14-year-olds can say that! Now, it is time for her to find a husband. Her parents throw her a Halloween party to bring about some suitors for their daughter. Her dress for this party is pink, sparkly, and full of hearts. It is a sleek version of a gypsy wedding dress. She is, by far, the best dressed! Boys are lining up to dance with her. At the end of the night, she chooses a boy named Jimmy Smith and they are crowned king and queen! This is a pretty calm display of gypsy culture, but the idea of a 14-year-old looking for a husband is very strange to us gorgers.

16 That Time A Bride Literally Went Down The Aisle Blind Thanks To The Veil Of Darkness

Now the moment we've all been waiting for, it is time to get into some crazy, old-school gypsy wedding traditions. It is time for the veil of darkness! Imagine walking down the aisle on the most important day of your life and you can't see a single thing. That is the veil of darkness. Gypsies partake in this tradition for many reasons. They claim it protects the bride and proves that she only has eyes for her groom. 23 year old gypsy Melissa has fallen out of gypsy traditions. She has had two children with gorger men and her mother, Sheila, is not pleased. Melissa decides to try dating a gypsy man. She does a complete 180 and agrees to marry one without meeting him! Maison is an Irish Romanichal gypsy who lives 300 miles away. He loves Melissa's green eyes and is ready to make the trip and marry her. While making plans for the dress, Melissa says she doesn't want a veil. Her traditional mother insists on the veil of darkness. To make things even crazier, Sheila also insists Maison go through the “darkening of the groom”. This involves people literally throwing eggs and flour at him to see if he sheds a tear. What?! Amazingly, he passes and Sheila gives her blessing. Melissa has a bit of a hard time walking down the aisle with her veil, but the wedding goes smoothly. Melissa and Maison become happy newlyweds and Melissa's relationship with her mother is restored!

15 That Time A Gypsy Girl Celebrated Coming Of Age By Not Ringing Bells

Now onto another gypsy tradition! While gypsies do sometimes dress scantily, they pride themselves in being very pure and modest women. Super cute 15-year-old gypsy Julie is the granddaughter of a famous gypsy matriarch named Tils. Tils insists that Julie follow such strict gypsy rules that she cannot even talk to boys. Yeah, a little dramatic. She believes that men will not respect her if she has been around another boy. Julie's mother is throwing her a colorful, fun sweet 16 “coming of age” party. Sounds fun, right? Well, Julie is required to have bells sewn onto the bottom of her dress. This gypsy tradition is meant to prove that a girl is pure.

If her hips swing too much and the bells ring, it is a disaster!

Poor Julie has the extra stress at her sweet 16 of not letting the bells ring. When she walks into the party, everyone is silent. Talk about pressure! Tils is very happy when the bells don't ring. She knew her granddaughter hadn't been around any boys and she wants to keep it that way. Julie enjoys her sweet 16 in her awesome dress and is on her way to someday find a gypsy husband.

14 That Time A Whole Wedding Party Turned Loose On The Groom

Think things couldn't get any crazier? Get ready for the biggest gypsy wedding brawl in the history of the show. 27-year-old gypsy Danielle wants to marry the father of her children, a gorger named Todd. The fact that he is a gorger is the first issue. The second issue is Danielle's mother, Sandy, doesn't think Todd makes enough money to provide for her daughter. Despite her concerns, Sandy agrees to be civil at the wedding as long as no one “pisses her off”. Danielle calls on Sondra Celli to make her a corseted wedding dress with some red in it, along with coordinating dresses for her two daughters. Everything sounds good so far, right? Fast forward to the wedding day. Sandy is not at all pleased with Todd not looking happy to marry her daughter and she makes her opinion known to everyone! There is screaming, there is cursing, there is someone literally dragging Sandy out! On her way out, Sandy hits a guest and everything becomes out of control. The best man ends up in the wedding cake and it is craziness. After the venue is completely ruined, Danielle and Todd get married in a courthouse and live happily ever after. Looks like love conquered all, even a crazy gypsy mother.

13 That Time A Wedding Dress Was Romnified With 24-Karat Magic

Don't lie, you know you want to hear about more crazy dresses! A wedding dress made of gold sounds like a dream, right? Well, that is what Sondra Celli does! She makes dreams come true! This time it is a gorger in the crazy dress. Kayla wants to gain acceptance in the gypsy community, so she has to impress! She not only needs to learn how to cook, she needs a gypsified wedding dress. Kayla wanted a sleek gown, but gypsy mother-in-law Linda wanted some true gypsy bling. Sondra Celli met them in the middle with a mermaid style dress. The top is fitted and the bottom is made of torn pieces of gold fabric. The whole thing involves 15 to 20 thousand crystals, some made of 24-karat gold.

And it doesn't stop there! The bouquet is made of 100 dollar bills and gold coins!

Talk about rags to riches! Maybe all the bling will distract from the fact that her gypsy fiance Timmy literally has “Romanichal” tattooed on his face. Kayla's gold dress is a stunner and it looks like she will fit in great with her new gypsy family. See, the gypsies aren't that hard to please, you just need a lot of bling!

12 That Time A Bride Had Her First Kiss At The Altar

You can't talk about the show without going to the first episode, which is the first time we saw the lives of these American gypsies. 17-year-old Romanichal gypsy, Shyanne, is the first one brave enough to show off her American gypsy wedding to the world. Shyanne is like every other teenage girl. She has a sweet personality, adorable hair, and loves dinosaurs. The first time she hung out with her boyfriend, Michael, was at an amusement park. The only hitch? They are about to get hitched! She is also ready to have her first kiss at the altar! Talk about awkward! Shyanne's mother, Chrissy, is a traditional gypsy woman and has always been watching out for her daughter's reputation. That means no kissing boys! This episode is also our first time meeting our favorite dressmaker, Sondra Celli! Shyanne's dress is not the craziest gypsy wedding dress, but it is still huge and covered in crystals. It even has a super cute bow in the front, which goes with Shyanne's youthful personality. She has a bit of a nervous breakdown when she shows up at the church, but what girl wouldn't? Once her nerves are calmed, she makes it down the aisle for her very first kiss and to marry the love of her life.

11 That Time Of Year When The Gypsy Masquerade Ball Rolls Around

Get ready for the ultimate gypsy gathering! The annual Gypsy Ball in Atlantic City. The dress code? Masquerade!

Once a year, gypsy boys and girls travel to find a potential partner.

Every gypsy girl wants to be the best dressed, so you can imagine how amazing all the gowns are! One gypsy girl named Kristen has found the man she wants in life and they are supposed to meet at the ball. However, the start of her modeling career means moving and her man, “Trouble”, is not pleased. Another young gypsy girl, Daniella, is also meeting a boy at the ball. The Gypsy Ball is a busy time of year for Ms. Sondra Celli! She made a red dress with leopard trim for Kristen and a pink, silvery gown for Daniella. She not only makes a ton of gowns for the occasion, she even attends! Once Daniella arrives to the ball, she notices her boy is not there yet. With one phone call, she learns he has gone back to his ex. To make things worse, her mother will not even let her hold hands with any of the boys. Kristen is very happy when she meets her boy, Trouble. Her mother, however, is not pleased with how close they start dancing. A gathering of gypsies is a lot of fun, a lot of dancing, and a lot of drama!

10 That Time A Gypsy Girl Ranway For 2 Years All In The Name Of Love

Family feuds run strong in the gypsy community! They are very passionate and loyal people. These are great attributes, except when they go too far! The teenage couple, Pookie and Nukkie, are both from prominent gypsy families. They are ready to get married, but Nukkie's mom, famed gypsy Nettie Stanley, does not approve! How did they think they would solve this problem? They run away! Obviously, this only made things worse. When Pookie's mom, another famed gypsy, Dovie, did not make Nukkie go back home, it started a gypsy feud! The Stanley's went berserk! After two years of trying to get Nukkie back, Nettie finally agrees to let her get married. She is very happy for her and approves of Pookie, but absolutely hates Pookie's mother! In order to get through the wedding, Nettie has to completely ignore her new enemy or she will literally fight her. Oh, and Nukkie's aunt Mellie and sister Dallas also hates Pookie's sister Jackie D. Mellie hates the fact that Jackie is the maid of honor in the wedding. Good times! After the ceremony, Nettie and Dovie resolve their feud. So do Mellie, Dallas, and Jackie! What a happy ending for an adorable gypsy couple!

9 That Time The Cake Smash Was Less Than Cute

This love story has everything! A double wedding, a family feud, a couple exes, and a whole lot of drama! Stefanie and Amber are proud gypsy cousins. They are planning to have the blingiest double wedding. Here's where the drama starts. Amber is engaged to Dustin, the father of Stefanie's sister, Chassity's, children. In the gypsy world, a family member dating another family member's ex is unheard of! To make things worse, Stefanie was the one who introduced Amber and Dustin! Talk about backstabbing! The two couples have a family meeting to tell everyone “the good news” and Chassity and her mom freak out! Chassity and Stefanie's mom, Melissa, yells at them to get out of her house. Chassity claims she will do anything she can to stop the wedding. That's a good start to the wedding planning! Chassity's plan is to show up at the wedding and literally steal Dustin from Amber. She and her mom go so far as to spit on the ground and curse the wedding! They also bring Amber's ex-husband to the wedding! What's worse than two exes at one wedding? A scandal!

Dustin hears that Amber has still been hanging out with her ex and mushes the cake in her face.

After all that, Dustin gets back with Chassity and a fight eventually breaks out! This definitely goes down as one of the most dramatic and complicated gypsy weddings!

8 That Time A Gypsy Girl's Dress Looked Like It Could Have Been Made By Willy Wonka Himself

High-schooler gypsy Yazzie is making her own path. She wants to be educated in more than how to cook, clean, and keep a household. However, her mother, Deanna, wants her to continue the gypsy bloodline. In an attempt to get her daughter to stick with gypsy tradition, she throws Yazzie a sweet 16 party to bring about some gypsy suitors. Yazzie has a secret though. She has a non-gypsy boyfriend and wants to announce it at the party. Her mom finds out sooner than Yazzie hoped and obviously, she is not happy! Her mom tells Yazzie the relationship is over! The next morning, Deanna shows Yazzie some things from their family's past to emphasize how important it is to keep on the gypsy tradition. Yazzie decides to break up with Anthony. Yazzie is now ready to meet a gypsy boy at her sweet 16! Her dress is made of 3,000 individual pieces of candy, which is such a cute idea for a teenage girl! Once they get to the party, Yazzie has to dance with a few gypsy boys to find a husband. She is totally not into it! Then, Anthony, the gorger shows up to profess his love and give her a wedding ring! That is a lot of drama for a sweet 16 party!

7 That Time Sisters Had A Double Trouble Wedding

Time for another double gypsy wedding! Gypsy sisters Brittany and Kalynn are having a double wedding to marry to gorger boys. Brittany has only known her fiance for three weeks! They both want huge, blingy, coordinating dresses.

But each of them wants their dress to be bigger than the other.

Who else could make two beautiful gypsy dresses besides Sondra Celli?! Sondra creates two large dresses that are similar in size, one red and one blue. Each contains about 300-400 yards of tulle and 15,000 gemstones on each bodice. To add some more bling, there were custom tiaras and crystal chokers. Both the girls are absolutely in love with their dresses! But it is the moment of truth and they want to know whose dress is technically bigger. They get out a measuring tape and learn the Kalynn is bigger by only an inch. Brittany is disappointed, but luckily, these adorable sisters are able to set that issue aside and have a great time at their gypsy wedding. It is a little difficult for them to move around, but that is totally worth it for the beautiful dresses. Believe it or not, this is one gypsy double wedding that goes fairly smoothly, but still has its fair share of bling.

6 That Time Hunter's Man Almost Became The Hunted

19 year old Romanichal gypsy, Hunter, has been raised like a true gypsy! She has stayed away from boys, she knows how to cook and clean, and she is ready to get married. She met a Cherokee boy named Dalton at a gypsy ball. He was actually just there as a wingman for a friend and he met the love of his life! There's just a few issues though. They live 600 miles apart and Hunter's mom, Tina, does not approve! When Hunter tells her mom she has been talking to Dalton and he is coming to visit, she flips! Tina states that “he is not allowed” in their house. Kind of dramatic. Dalton shows up anyways because he can't wait to see his love! Tina shows up at the door with a full-on rifle! When Hunter explains how much she loves Dalton, Tina decides to give him a chance. She definitely has her reservations. She makes Dalton do chores around their land to see if he is worthy. Everything goes great and now a wedding is on the way. Sondra Celli creates a “Cherokee gypsy” dress that is fabulous! They attempt to tie the corset with straw, a Cherokee tradition, but it does not work out. They tie a little bow with straw and avert the crisis. Tina loves that her daughter looks like a “Cherokee goddess” and the wedding is beautiful!

5 That Time They Almost Made It Through The Ceremony Without A Fight

Haven't had enough gypsy brawling? We have one more for you! This one was kind of doomed from the start. Two gypsy sisters, Kandace and Kayla, are marrying to gorger boys. Their mother Sandy, who you might remember from another epic battle, says this is her worst nightmare. She already disapproves that the girls live with and/or have children with their gorger fiances. Many gypsy mothers believe that gorger men cannot provide properly for their wife and family.

Sandy says “real love” means the woman not working, just cleaning and getting their nails and hair done.

Despite their mother's concerns, both girls carry on with the wedding. They choose coordinating pink and blue dresses that are shorter in the front and longer in the back. They have a beautiful outdoor ceremony. At some point in the ceremony, Sandy hears someone laughing. She takes this laughter as someone making fun of her daughters, which sets her off! The yelling and the cursing begins. She gets up in everyone's face and her own daughters have to yell at her (at their own wedding) to get her to calm down! You would think this lady would learn to hold her tongue at her daughters' weddings, but not in the gypsy world!

4 That Time Even We Couldn't Keep Up With The Ever Changing Love Triangle

Nobody wants to be stuck in a soap opera style love triangle, but gypsy love triangles bring even more drama. Gypsy girl Tara is starting to get cold feet about marrying her fiance Alex. To make things worse, she has been talking to another guy named Justin. Alex catches a phone call from Justin and loses it! He is crying and saying how miserable he is without Tara. Tara doesn't really care and actually leaves Alex for Justin. Talk about a plot twist! Tara's sisters refuse to go to the wedding if she marries Justin. So (another plot twist), Tara breaks up with Justin! To show how much he loves her, Alex goes to an extreme measure. He literally gets a huge tattoo of Tara's face on his back. Some people might find this slightly obsessive, but Tara is thrilled and is now ready to marry him. Tara is a little late to the wedding, which makes Alex nervous. Despite the love triangle drama, dress issues, and a bridesmaid meltdown, Alex and Tara have a great ceremony and are finally married! Tara is happy with the man she chose. They are starting with a clean slate and are ready to spend the rest of their lives together.

3 That Time We Almost Didn't See The Baby In The Baptismal Dress

Remember Kayla, daughter of infamous gypsy Sandy, who married a gorger in a double wedding with her sister? Fun fact, she now has an adorable daughter named Harmony! Her name came from the “harmony” they hoped to have between their gypsy and gorger families. Cute right?! They really want their daughter to have an upbringing with both gorger and gypsy traditions. When it came time for Harmony's baptism, Kayla wanted a dress that represented her own pink wedding dress. She went to none other than Sondra Celli! The dress she created is amazing!

It contains includes 50 yards of organza and at least 6,000 Swarovski crystals!

That's a lot for such a small little human. Not to mention there was also a bedazzled and monogrammed binky and a sparkly bib that says “Harmony”. There were even crystals on her headband and baby sandals! That's more bling than any of us adults could even dream of. Little Harmony does look adorable though. If you were wondering about grandma Sandy, she was very pleased to see her granddaughter in such a blinged out baptism dress and forgot all the concerns she might have had. You can't help but be happy for this little family!

2 That Time One Gypsy Girl Managed A Blinged Out Goth Wedding

We all know the new trend is to stray away from the classic white wedding dress. But the gypsy culture is very strict. They want their dresses the way they want them, colorful and blingy. 17 year old gypsy girl, Tuter, is the black sheep of her family. She doesn't like going to church and she loves heavy metal music. She has her mind set on having a black wedding dress. Sounds cool and edgy! She even went to the right place for an amazing black dress, Sondra Celli. Her mother, however, insists she wear something “beautiful” and “covered in Swarovski crystals”. Tuter holds her ground and says if they make anything else it will be a waste of time because she WILL NOT wear it. The disagreement between the mother and daughter has Sondra very confused. Tuter eventually leaves and her mother still insists on a classic gypsy dress! C'mon lady! They eventually have a heart to heart and agree to meet in the middle with a black dress that has bling! The final dress is complete with black lace, mesh, and leather! The skirt is a high low style with 60 yards of tulle and 1,100 turkey feathers! You read that right. The goth bride looked awesome on her wedding day, which still considering her heritage.

1 That Time A Bride Expected Nothing Less Than Living Flowers For Her Dress

Sondra Celli meets her biggest challenge with this dress! Maquayla is a Romanichal gypsy who works two jobs to pay for the things she wants. This is unlike most gypsy women who depend on their parents or husbands for money. Her fiance Thomas is her childhood love and they have been inseparable ever since! They want a flower-filled gypsy wedding and she knows it is going to be expensive. Thomas is between jobs, so Maquayla knows she has to pay for everything herself. She is really going to need the money because she wants a dress made of real live flowers! Specifically, she wants Gerber daisies. Not only does Sondra and her team have to construct the dress, they have to keep the flowers alive! Turns out Gerber daisies do not stay alive very long. Sondra has to take matters into her own hands. She decides on roses, carnations, and various other flowers. Sondra and her team have to work 24/7 and keep the shop at freezing temperatures! Finally, it is time to reveal the dress.

It has 3,000 live flowers, looks amazing, and Maquayla is thrilled!

Once the dress was delivered, the flowers were dead and Maquayla was very upset. Sondra Celli flies from Boston to fix what she can. As always, Sondra saves the day and the dress is ready! Maquayla looks beautiful at her wedding!

References: dailymotion.com, tlc.com, channelguidemag.com, celebritydirtylaundry.com, wowamazing.com