Former Married At First Sight participant Matt Ridley has found his happy ending with the news that he’s engaged to school teacher girlfriend, Dominique Nielsen.

Matt Ridley was paired with Kate Laidlaw on season nine of MAFS, which aired in 2022. The couple (obviously) didn’t work out, and Matt met Dominique in September 2022, five months after his MAFS season finished airing.

The former MAFS groom shared the big news on Instagram.

“She said yes 💍 I’m the luckiest man in the world to have met you and fallen deeply in love with you. You are my world and I cannot wait to marry you,” he wrote.

The proposal

Matt popped the question in March 2024 on Noosa’s Little Cove Beach while the couple were on holiday.

“I knew that if we were going to get engaged that was going to be the spot,” he told 9Now.

“So I organised some accommodation and she was incredibly surprised… she started crying and she immediately said yes with a big smile.”

“So I organised some accommodation and she was incredibly surprised… she started crying and she immediately said yes with a big smile.”

Matt proposed with a 14K rose and white gold diamond ring from Simon Curwood Jewellers.

“I got it to match Dom – to match Dom’s smile and her excitement,” Matt told the publication.

Matt’s journey to have a family

During his time on Married At First Sight, Matt shared the heartbreaking IVF journey he’d been on with his ex.

His now-fiance Dominique has a 10-year-old son named Heath, who Matt now calls the family he “always yearned for”. Matt ensured that Heath was there for the proposal.

“I wanted him to be the first to congratulate us with the big hug and he did, so that made it a bit more special knowing he was there to see something incredible between his mum and his stepdad,” he explained.

Stream MAFS on Channel 9 and 9Now.

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