Life is a combination of sweet and happy moments as well as disappointments. How people react and handle situations goes a long way and reflects how well they can continuously stay happy despite broken promises, trauma, losing a loved one or dealing with financial crises and failed relationships. However, how does an abandoned bride seek happiness on her wedding day?
Recently, a bride, Kayley Stead, summoned the courage to stay happy on her wedding day after her husband-to-be failed to appear at the altar. Kayley learned that her partner of four years had jilted her in the final hours while she was having her makeup done for the wedding.
The bride narrated her ordeal
Kayley explained that she woke up at 6:15 due to the arrival of her make-up artist, after which they shared breakfast, and she started styling her hair and working on her face to look good for the big day. At one point, she confirmed that her best friend received a call from one of the groomsmen who notified her that the groom wasn’t going to show up for the wedding. In an attempt to find the best way to break the news to her, the bridesmaids kept Kayley’s phone, so she wouldn’t hear the news from someone else.
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The 27-year-old revealed how she responded to the issue: “At that point, I was gone. I was sobbing. Once I told my parents, the hairdresser, and the videographer, that’s when I had to tell myself that it wasn’t going to happen.” The videographer replied jokingly, “Why don’t you carry on, girls? You’ve spent all this money, you’re not getting it back, all your guests are there, why don’t you just go?”
Kayley continued, “My sister was redoing my make-up because at that point it was all just gone, and she said: ‘Why don’t you do it, Kayley?’ That’s when I was like, I’m going to do it. I’d spent all this money, I’d been looking forward to the food, a dance with my dad, spending time with my family, so why not?”
Kayley decided not to cancel the wedding
The 27-year-old made a decision that changed the tune of the situation. She pushed for the celebration to continue, but was no longer interested in marrying the runaway groom. Kayley graced her party with all the energy she got as she entered the venue singing along to Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” while having the most fun with her bridesmaids. She punched her wedding cake and shared her first dance with the groomsmen and her family.
Also, a modification was made to the design of the photo booth, which displayed ‘Mr and Mrs’, and this subsequently changed to display her chosen ‘Kayley’s Shindig.’
The bride couldn’t pinpoint what informed the groom’s decision
The bride and the supposed groom have had a relationship since 2018, and the duo got engaged two years later. She is still puzzled as to why he decided not to show up for their wedding. In an interview with Metro, Kayley revealed, “I had no clue, no signal. He showed me no reason as to why he would leave me on that day.”
She further detailed how close they were in the past, “A couple of days before, we were going for food together, he was talking about the honeymoon, and he bought me a book last Christmas with a million reasons as to why he loved me inside, all handwritten with our special moments. After I found out he wasn’t coming to the wedding, I decided I didn’t want to remember the day as complete sadness.”
People’s reaction to the bride
Despite the disappointment, Kayley is happy that she still had her day and that the money and her effort didn’t go to waste. She also felt loved, because people who were there offered support to her. “Everybody kept saying sorry to me, but I wanted that to stop — they hadn’t chosen that path; they’d chosen to stay, so let’s celebrate that,” she claimed. “I wanted to thank them for staying. They didn’t run away, and I would have totally understood if they did, but they stood by me the whole day.”
Kayley’s maids of honor also created a Go Fund Me to support her after the wedding, and people have donated generously to the account.