Stephanie Picks Out Her Wedding Dress In This Exclusive 'MAFS' Clip

A brand new season of Married at First Sight launches on Lifetime on Jan. 1 with "First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Love." Viewers will be introduced to several couples who will by tying the knot first and then falling for each other later (hopefully). One couple, Stephanie and AJ, get Married at First Sight in the Season 8 premiere, but in this exclusive clip, they're still preparing for their upcoming nuptials.

The two-hour premiere airs at 9 p.m. ET, but it will be preceded by a Matchmaking Special at 8 p.m, both produced by Kinetic Content. That will give the fans a look at how the matchmaking process works, including how the couples are selected by the experts behind the scenes. Stephanie and AJ are one such couple, and this clip allows fans to get to know them ahead of the premiere.

When the clip begins, 35-year old financial consultant Stephanie is walking into a wedding dress shop with her sister Lori and best friend Jen. In a voiceover, she reveals that this is the moment the entire thing started to feel real to her. She's definitely getting married to someone she's never met and picking out a dress confirms that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"My emotions are just sky-high right now," Stephanie says in a confessional segment. She definitely looks more thrilled than apprehensive, going by the wide smile on her face. But the process of choosing a dress is far from easy. Though the sea of tulle and beading indicates lots of options, it takes Stephanie a while to settle on one dress that has it all. She cycles through a few that only have aspects she likes: this one has a perfect bodice, but the skirt is wrong; the netting is a big no, etc.

Stephanie's desire to have the ideal dress has another layer to it besides normal wedding day jitters, however. She explains that she feels a little bit of pressure to pick out the perfect dress because she has to "shine" and "pop," but has no idea what her groom's taste is. It seems like she wants to make a good first impression, which is motivating the very thorough dress search.

Meanwhile, her prospective groom AJ, a 37-year-old staffing company owner, is also looking for his perfect tux. And he's just as eager and anxious to make a good impression as Stephanie is. With his groomsman there for support, AJ discusses everything he's looking for: like Stephanie, he wants to "pop," but also exude class. This is the outfit they'll be wearing when they first see each other, so it makes sense that they both want it to be stylish and attention-getting.

By the end of the clip, they both find exactly what they're looking for. And that inspires Stephanie to share how she's feeling about her wedding:

I want to be married more than anything. I'm the last one in my family to be married and I'm just looking for that lifetime partnership. Being together with that person no matter what, through thick and thin. I'm ready to not be alone in life anymore.

The same seems to be true for AJ. Once he chooses his tux, he jokes about wanting to be a trophy husband but then emphasizes how much he wants to impress his future wife. It looks like these two share more than a love of looks that pop. If they're both equally dedicated to making this marriage work, then Stephanie and AJ might be a perfect match.

After a very frustrating first birth experience, this Deaf mother wanted a change. Will the help of two Deaf doulas give the quality communication and birth experience this mom wants and deserves? Watch Episode Four of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below, and visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes.