GYPSY bride Sam Norton’s extravagant dress was unveiled in all its glory in last night’s My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on Channel 4, sending Twitter into overdrive.

Film crews followed the 17-year-old barmaid from St Helens as she prepared for her marriage into the Gypsy community.

Sam’s pink dress, which weighed a whopping 14 stone and had 21 underskirts, was dotted with fibre optic lights and mechanical butterflies.

Seeing it for the first time she said: “I wasn’t expecting it to look that nice.”

The programme, which last week attracted an audience of more than five million, is proving to be a hot talking point.

Sam, a non-gypsy, married 20-year-old tree surgeon Pat.

However, the show explained that many travellers frown on such weddings, believing non-gypsies, dilute their traditions and history.

However, the young couple were undaunted and were followed preparing themselves for married life.

The bride-to-be was prepared to forgo living in a house, for life in a caravan.

She said: “I don’t see it as just marrying a gypsy, I see it as he’s my partner and I’m marrying him.

“I’ve known him for a long time and he was my best mate. I know he’s the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, so we may as well get married.”

Speaking about her move to a travellers’ site she explained: “It’s nice how they all help each other.

“They say do you need me to hoover up or wipe the floor? I don’t care where we live. I’d live in a bin as long as it was with him.”

Defending her decision to live in a trailer, she said: “I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s like looking at houses. It’s going to be our home so I don’t see it being any different.”

The Twittershpere went in to a frenzy during the programme, with the micro blogging website attracting a range of comments about her dress.

Comedian Alan Carr tweeted: “After watching My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding feel quite drab in my terry towelling dressing gown and suedette plimsoles”

@RocknRollBride added: "That pink, light up, moving butterfly covered dress was something else”.”

@henryholland added: "Watching my big fat gypsy wedding for the first time…Chanel bedding.

"Need. Glitter spray. Need. A dress that lights up and moves. Need."