The Day Before the Wedding: Will John and Aaron’s Big Day Go According to Plan?

In Friday night’s episode of ITV Emmerdale, available early on ITVX, the village prepares for what should be a joyful celebration — the long-anticipated wedding of John and Aaron. But as is often the case in the Dales, happiness doesn’t come without a shadow, and things soon begin to unravel.

As the day begins, John is in a buoyant mood. With the final preparations for the wedding underway, he’s excited and hopeful that nothing will spoil what should be one of the most important days of his life. However, that optimism quickly fades when Aaron shares disturbing news. Belle has just returned from Shetland — a trip that was supposed to involve Nate working at a new job opportunity — but Nate never showed up. He didn’t turn up for the job, and worse, no one seems to know where he is.

John, clearly troubled but trying not to show it, finds Belle at The Woolpack. Sensing her anxiety, he attempts to shift the conversation away from Nate’s unexplained disappearance and instead focuses on the wedding. He makes a light-hearted comment about not wanting any “last-minute surprises” before his big day. Though said in jest, the remark feels eerily prophetic. Is this subtle foreshadowing of something darker to come?

Despite the tension, John tries to keep everything under control. He takes a break from his meeting with Belle to visit Eric’s shop, where he finds Tracey. Finally deciding to inform her of Nate’s absence, John tries to soften the blow. He compliments her by sharing a personal story — about his stepdad who stepped in when his biological father disappeared — a tactic meant to dissuade her from digging into Nate’s whereabouts. The emotional angle works, and Tracey reluctantly accepts that Nate may have simply walked away from everything.

But this tactic of diversion and half-truths starts to unravel when John returns to Belle. She’s still deeply worried and reveals that she attempted to call Nate’s landline at the job site, only to find the number dead. Her concern mounting, she declares that she’s going to report Nate as a missing person to the police.

Just as Belle picks up the phone to make the call, John intervenes and says he “can’t let her do that.” His reaction is intense, almost desperate, as if there’s more at stake than he’s letting on. Belle, confused and alarmed, reluctantly follows him to the shop where Tracey works. There, John tells Tracey what Belle plans to do. Predictably, Tracey is upset and begs Belle to let it go, saying that if Nate has done a runner, it’s his choice and not something the police need to be involved in.

John seems relieved, but the audience is left with an uneasy feeling. There’s a sense that he’s hiding something — something serious.

As evening falls and John finalizes wedding arrangements with Belle, it seems like the storm may have passed. Everything appears to be on track. But just as he’s leaving The Woolpack, fate intervenes once more. John overhears a conversation between Moira and Cain — a conversation that stops him in his tracks. Moira mentions that the local water company is planning to drain the lake the very next day.

The same lake where Nate’s body lies.

John’s expression changes immediately. The pressure is now palpable. The secret he’s clearly been keeping threatens to surface — literally — and on the day of his wedding, no less. What should be a celebration may now become a crime scene.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, another troubling development unfolds. Young Clemmie places a call to social services. Her voice trembling, she tells them she’s scared of her mother’s new boyfriend — none other than Joe. The implications of this are serious, and though it’s a separate storyline, it underscores the atmosphere of tension that’s gripping Emmerdale.

Back in John’s world, everything he’s worked to cover up is now on the verge of coming undone. His efforts to deflect Belle and pacify Tracey have bought him time — but only just. The draining of the lake will undoubtedly reveal the truth about Nate’s fate. Whether it was an accident, a confrontation gone wrong, or something more sinister, it’s clear that John knows far more than he’s saying.

The dramatic irony is thick. While guests and family look forward to John and Aaron tying the knot, a dark secret lurks beneath the surface — literally and metaphorically. The image of the lake being drained on the morning of the wedding looms large, like a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

Will the truth come out before the ceremony? Will John confess, or will someone else uncover the truth in time? And what will happen to Belle and Tracey, who are still clinging to hope or denial?

This episode sets up a gripping turning point in Emmerdale. It’s not just about a wedding anymore — it’s about lies, buried truths, and the cost of covering up what cannot stay hidden forever.

With so many threads intertwining — Nate’s disappearance, John’s suspicious behavior, Clemmie’s alarming phone call, and the looming threat of the drained lake — it’s clear that the village of Emmerdale is heading for yet another emotional and possibly tragic reckoning.

As the sun sets on the eve of John and Aaron’s wedding, viewers are left wondering not whether the wedding will be beautiful, but whether it will happen at all. And if it does — will it mark a beginning, or the end of everything John has tried so hard to protect?