Nearly every little girl fantasizes about the opportunity to plan the wedding of her dreams. Sadly, most marriages end in divorce rather than a happily ever after but for one woman her big day never even took off. Yet, she still had to attend the wedding.
She Said Yes
In 2016, Carly from Faversham, Kent, a town in England, had planned to marry a man she thought was the love of her life. The pair had been dating for some time when on Valentine’s Day of 2015, he proposed. They had been together 9 years and had 2 children. Overjoyed, Carly said yes and began planning her big day. However, when she told her family the news, she and her brother decided to have a joint wedding.
Set to take place on April 29, 2016, the four began planning the big day. It was a time of joy, with Carly’s mom recalling her feeling like the “luckiest girl in the world”. Carly and her soon to be husband’s daughters would play a special role in the grand event, standing with the wedding party as bridesmaids.
“I launched into full wedding planning mode.” Recalled Carly, “We chose a hotel, separate wedding cakes and even booked to go on honeymoon together in Tenerife.” Going over the details of her wedding planning she also divulged, “I bought my dress, and my daughter chose dresses for her and her sister. I also had two friends as bridesmaids who both bought aqua green dresses to wear.”
“We sent 100 invites out to guests for the ceremony and a further 100 for the evening do.” She concluded.
Change of Plans
Unfortunately, just days before the big day, and as guests were flying into town, Carly’s fiancée canceled their nuptials. Carly was crushed, but having promised her daughters a spot in the weeding and being as it was a joint wedding, she felt that she needed to be there. “It was my brother’s big day too.” She explained. “As the wedding march began, I walked down the aisle holding my bouquet with the girls at my side.”
On the day of her wedding, Carly baffled friends and family by still walking down the aisle, bouquet in hand, but instead of a bridal gown, she was wearing something else. Being unable to handle the emotions of walking down the aisle in her wedding dress, she instead opted to borrow a dress from one of her bridesmaid’s who’d fortunately brought an alternative outfit to wear.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over being jilted at the altar,” Carly shared. “A wedding is supposed to be the best day of a woman’s life. But it was the worst day of mine.”
Carly had spent years with this man, whose name had been changed to Shaun to protect his privacy, never expecting things to come crashing down the way they had. There are 3 sides to every story, so it’s a little tricky to understand exactly what happened but it’s clear the pair struggled to communicate with one another about how to move forward together, calling it quits.
Read More: ‘My 6-Year-Old Nephew Ruined My Wedding By Wearing White’
Love’s Untimely End
A week before the couple were set to say “I do” alongside Carly’s brother, and his future wife, they went off on the traditional celebration with friends or family, known in the U.S. as a bachelor/bachelorette party. Both parties left the UK for their celebration. However, when they returned, something had shifted significantly between Carly and Shaun.
Apparently, after returning home, Carly heard rumors that Shaun may have been unfaithful during the celebration. Sadly, when she spoke with him on April 26th, about what she’d heard, his reaction was different than any she could have ever predicted. “Two days before the big day, Shaun wasn’t talking to me. On Friday morning, the day of our wedding, I got the keys to the bridal suite and laid my white dress out on the bed,” explained Carly. “I thought Shaun would turn up. I called him and told him me and the girls were all dressed up ready. But his voice was cold as he said he’d told me the wedding was off and he hung up.”
Contrasting Opinions
On the other hand, Shaun had a very different take on what happened between himself and Carly. He denies that he was unfaithful to her, but instead shared something that ultimately played a role in his decision to cancel the wedding. He shared that Carly had been unfaithful years ago. “It was a joint wedding, and she didn’t have to go to the wedding.” He commented. “Three days before I decided I didn’t want to marry her, and I told guests the wedding was off.”
Carly shared that although she did attend the wedding for the sake of her daughters, brother, and family, she also explained that things didn’t go the way they would traditionally. “We didn’t pose for the official wedding photos, and I couldn’t face cutting into our wedding cake.” Said Carly. “But I forced myself to sit down with the guests and enjoy the wedding breakfast. We’d paid for this; the girls were looking forward to it – I wasn’t going to let good food go to waste.”
While it’s unknown how things are going for the family these days, Carly shared that she was determined not to let this get in the way of her ability to enjoy life. “Now I’m determined to keep strong. My wedding dreams may have been ruined but I won’t let what happened ruin my life.” She said. Her first step, enjoying the bridal suite, and honeymoon with a good friend instead!
Read More: Six Reasons Why Wedding Rings Matter More than You Think