Married at First Sight viewers fell for the charms of a romantic groom who tied the knot with a woman he hadn't met until their wedding day.

Richard, 28, a police sergeant, won fans over when he admitted he was looking for a 'sunshine and rainbows' kind of love.

But it was the adorable moment Richard practised for his first dance with his beloved dog Merlin that really melted hearts, as he lifted the spaniel to his chest and twirled to At Last by Etta James.

He got legally hitched to Harriet, a financial adviser, who had put her career before finding love, during Thursday night's episode of the Channel 4 show.

Viewers labelled him a 'keeper', with many declaring they'd love to marry him themselves.

Married at First Sight viewers fell for the charms of Richard, 28, after he slow danced with his dog to practise for his first dance with his bride

Richard took the pooch for a twirl around the room after eating admitting he was in serious need of his some practice for his first dance with Harriet.

'I hope Harriet is a little less into licking faces than this one! But that will do for a first practice,' he said.

Viewers thought the moment was 'adorable', and took to Twitter to say they'd like to take Harriet's place as his bride.

One tweeted: 'If it doesn't work out with Richard & Harriet can I have a Richard please? He's lovely.'

Many said they'd like to marry him themselves, with one calling him the 'perfect man'

'He dances with his dog and has made her wedding ring!! KEEPER!!!' another posted.

One said: 'How the f*** is (was) Richard single? He's the PERFECT man, surely?'

Another adorable moment saw Richard get a ring designed for his bride-to-be, which he made himself with the help of jeweler.

His bride Harriet had longed to find the one after long hours at her London-based job stopped her from having a regular dating life, and had been single for five years.

They twirled around the room to At Last by Etta James in the heartwarming moment

Another sweet moment saw him create a special wedding ring for Harriet after designing it himself

She said: 'After five years on my own I do worry about finding the person I'm going to be with. I look at my friends settling down and I just think ''Why haven't I got that yet? And when is it going to happen?'''

She'd said that when she went to weddings family members would ask when it would be her turn, and she was tired of telling them she was single.

Experts including a sex expert and a vicar paired her up with Richard, 28, who works anti-social hours including nights and weekends as a police sergeant.

Harriet and Richard got married after meeting for the first time at the altar in Channel 4's Married at First Sight

The couple had both been workaholics who put their career before settling down, but worried they wouldn't meet the one

Harriet said her relatives would probe her about when she was going to settle down and started to get jealous of her friends who were settling down

Her father Robin said he didn't expect Harriet to get married in this way in his 'wildest dreams'

THE GRUELLING MATCH-MAKING PROCESS FOR MAFS Married At First Sight receives 1,000s of applications which makes the match-making process a complicated one. A team of experts – including psycho-sexual therapist and psychologist Jo Coker, biological anthropologist Dr Jake Dunn, registrar Cynthia Green, and clinical psychologist Martin Hald – work as a team to pair up people best suited to one another. In order to establish their varying personalities, likes and dislikes and morals candidates go through a series of hurdles so that they can be best placed. Those applying to the show are subjected to workshops, interviews, background checks, various tests and personality questionnaires (some of which can take over 12 hours to complete). Eventually the panel narrows the selection down to 15 candidates with just six paired up with 'dealbreakers' such as smoking used to cut out potential suitors. Advertisement

He'd had five serious relationships and signed up to a dozen dating websites, but had no luck finding the right partner to settle into his hectic life.

Richard explained: 'We work strange hours, we work evenings and weekends and it does have an impact on relationships but I'm definitely a romantic. The sort of love I'm looking for is the sunshine, the rainbows, the kind of skipping down the street at the end of the movie.'

THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE BIG DAY

Experts matched them together because of their desire to settle down quickly and their similar work ethic.

They were given six weeks to prepare for their wedding, buying a wedding dress, suits and rings without knowing any more than their future spouse's name.

Showing off his romantic side, Richard decided to make Harriet's wedding ring by hand as a symbol of his commitment to the process.

THE CEREMONY

When it came to their wedding day at Gibson Hall in London the pair were feeling the nerves, as a giggly Harriet walked down the aisle.

The crowd laughed as she failed to contain her giggles and gave Richard an awkward hello as she joined him at the altar.

Without another word the pair exchanged their vows and became man and wife, but didn't seal their union with a kiss on the lips - Richard awkwardly touched his head against hers.

After the ceremony they were given their first few moments together as a couple but an overwhelmed Harriet could only say 'oh my god' as they left the busy chapel.

When they first met at the altar Harriet giggled nervously and only managed to say 'hello' to Richard before they made their vows

The pair didn't kiss when they were pronounced man and wife but shared an awkward hug

Speaking to the camera afterwards, she admitted she was pleased with her new husband, saying: 'He seems really lovely and kind… I have a really good feeling about it.'

Richard was equally impressed, saying: 'First impressions are really good she's really traditionally pretty, and she's really nice, she's got great sense of humour.'

He tried to ease her nerves making joked about his name, referring to himself as "Dick".

THE RECEPTION

At the reception Richard tried to win over the couple's doubters by giving a very crude speech about their union.

He joked that he was using the 'draft' version of the words that he'd written before he met Harriet's parents Robin and Janet and found out their names.

He said: 'I'd like to thank Montgomery and Shaniqua... I can only imagine what you went through when Harriet said she was going to marry someone that called himself Dick, but having narrowly avoided having to do CPR when I told my own parents I've got a pretty good idea.'

After the ceremony the pair went for a walk alone together where an overwhelmed Harriet tried to calm her nerves

Richard managed to help her relax at the reception by cracking crude jokes and paying her compliments

He said that his new wife had made a 'really good' first impression on her as he praised her looks and sense of humour

Both of their parents had been unsure about the experiment, with Richard's father Tony saying the legality of the marriage concerned him because if they split, the couple will have to divorce.

Harriet's dad Robin was also doubtful, but was excited to see how the match would work in practise, admitting: 'It isn't exactly what I would have thought of or dreamt of in my wildest, dreams but I think it is exciting and I'm looking forward to it.'

Richard's reception speech appeared to win over the parents and helped to ease Harriet's nerves, before the copper became more sentimental with his words.

He went on: 'Thank you for taking part in this experiment and thank you for marrying me this afternoon. You've shown what an incredible person you are. You're brave and open minded, and optimistic.'

They had been matched because of their desire to settle down quickly and their similar work ethic

Richard's dad had been doubtful of the experiment as he didn't like that it could end in divorce because they were legally married

After she calmed down Harriet said she was glad she went through with the marriage, saying all her 'anxiety is gone'

The couple finally shared their first kiss on the dancefloor during their first dance to the sound of applause from their families

The couple had their first dance to Marry You by Bruno Mars and let loose on the dancefloor as they became more comfortable with each other, and they finally shared their first kiss to the sound of applause from their families.

Despite her earlier nerves, Harriet said she was glad she decided to wed a total stranger.

She explained: 'All my anxiety is gone now and that's got to be a good thing. It's nuts, I didn't think I was going to get married, definitely didn't think I'd marry someone I'd never met, and now I have a ring of my finger.'

Harriet had admitted that she wasn't sure about having sex with Richard on their wedding night, saying she'd wait until they got to the bedroom to decide if she'd go through with it.

The rest of the series will follow the couple as they attempt to live as a married couple, documenting their day-to-day lives after the fairytale wedding.

Married at First Sight continues on Thursday at 9pm on Channel 4