Love Island UK stars Molly Smith and Tom Clare appear to break major wedding tradition before getting married

Reality TV newlyweds Molly Smith and Tom Clare shook up old-school wedding traditions when they tied the knot earlier this week.

The couple - who won the 'All Star' version of Love Island in 2024 - announced their marriage on Wednesday (23 Jul), confirming they'd enjoyed a chic courthouse ceremony in Stockport Town Hall the day prior.

They shared a sweet 'just married' snap of them kissing on Instagram, with flower petals cascading around them.

The bride, 32, stole the show in a white short-sleeved mini dress, which she paired with a matching hat and netted veil, while 26-year-old Tom opted for a classic black suit and tie.

Not long after saying 'I do', the couple shared a video on TikTok recorded the morning of their nuptials.

The cute clip began with Tom, wearing a pair of eye masks and a tight white vest, lip-syncing over audio that said, 'You hear me now? That's my girlfriend, suckers', all the while pointing at Molly.

The bride had her hair in a set of rollers at the time, and stood beside Tom, showing off her full-glam look.

The content of the clip seems to imply that Molly and Tom spent the morning of their marriage getting ready together, breaking away from the tradition for the bride not to see the groom before she walks down the aisle.

Apparently, the superstition that it's 'bad luck' for a husband to see his wife before they make it official originates from the era of arranged marriages, when weddings were treated as business transactions rather than romantic love matches.

Following a 'hand-swipe' transition, the pair could be seen in their wedding get-ups, ex-footballer Tom wearing his suave black tux and Molly wearing her tailored white dress and Jacqui Kennedy-esque headpiece.

Continuing the audio, Molly then holds up her hand, showing off her new golden band and correcting Tom, 'Your wife'.

'My wife, even better,' the groom then mouths, showing off his own wedding band.

The breaking of traditional wedding protocol looks to have gone unnoticed by Molly and Tom's TikTok followers, however, many of whom took to the comments to congratulate the couple.

"Wish you the best of luck for your future, so happy you're a wife," one told Molly. "That’s a real man; protect him at any cost."

Another gushed: "Watching you grow as a couple has been a pleasure. I wish you both nothing but happiness."

The couple may maintain some pre-wedding mystery when they marry again in a second 'intimate' wedding ceremony in Majorca later this summer, where they're said to have forked out £10k on hiring the clifftop 17th-century marble temple Son Marroig.