 Steve O'Brien of "SFX" gave "The Runaway Bride" four out of five stars, noting that it was different from anything "Doctor Who" had done, but the "sillier" tone worked for Christmas Day.He also praised Tennant and Tate.IGN's Travis Fickett gave the episode a score of 7.2 out of 10, feeling that Donna had improved from her short appearance at the end of "Doomsday".