Married At First Sight Australia couple Mel Akbay and Luke Fourniotis have ended their marriage after just three weeks, following a series of wedding day mishaps. Luke arrived late to the ceremony, forgot the rings, and was chewing gum, which Mel said made her feel like “everybody's laughing at me again”.
The pair, paired by experts on the 2026 series, struggled from the start. Mel admitted she never felt attracted to Luke, calling it “really difficult”. Luke acknowledged the wedding day was poor but questioned whether it alone caused the breakdown, noting that living together for weeks brought little improvement.
At the Commitment Ceremony in week three, both decided the marriage was not worth the effort. Luke had hoped the experiment would help him move on after his father's death, while Mel was seeking a long-term relationship as the only single in her friend group. Experts matched them hoping to push Luke out of his comfort zone.
Despite the split, Luke reflected that a better wedding day might have helped in the short term, but doubted it would have changed the long-term outcome. The couple's quick exit adds another dramatic twist to this season of MAFS Australia.
