A heartbroken bride who bravely had her wedding without her groom has revealed her first thoughts when she realised she'd been jilted.
Kayley Stead, 27, thought she was about to marry the love of her life until just before she put on her wedding dress and she discovered he'd ran away.
These were the shocked bride's first thoughts at the time:
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While she was left in a state of disbelief at first, Kayley decided that since everyone had gone to the effort of coming to her big day and it was paid for, she was going to have her wedding anyway.
Kayley went on to celebrate herself in a bash at the Oxwich Bay Hotel in Gower, Swansea that her guests still thoroughly enjoyed, and she had a first dance with her dad instead.
Like a true icon, she sang Lizzo's 'Good as Hell'.
She even made light of the fact that she had been jilted by hilariously punching off the top tier of her wedding cake.
Kayley said of the breakdown of her four-year relationship: "The groom and I had already agreed not to speak the night before the wedding anyway, so I didn't know what was happening on his end, I didn't have a clue."
The awful news was revealed by one of the groomsmen to Kayley's best friend, who said she was shaking when she realised she'd have to tell her.
"The bridal party hid my phone so they could decide what was the best way to tell me and I wouldn't find out from someone else," she said.
"They wanted to make sure he was definitely gone before panicking me.
"I found my phone and saw I had a missed call from his mum. I called her back and she was crying and told me he had gone for a drive in the early hours of the morning, and he was gone."
The bride went on to explain that despite the bleak circumstances, she still had hope that he would turn up until she discovered that he was four hours away.
This is because her ex-partner frequently went for walks or drives to clear his head when he needed space.
But he was gone - without an explanation about why he left his partner on what was meant to be the happiest day of their lives.
"I didn't want to remember the day as complete sadness," Kayley said.
"The whole day, we were saying it felt like an episode of Hollyoaks or EastEnders. It didn't feel like a real life situation.
"There were so many special moments, like my wedding entrance, the sparkler walk, the first dance and punching the wedding cake - so there was still happiness in the day."
She said of her entrance: "Nobody knew what to do, I think they were a bit scared to say something, and then everybody just started cheering and hugging me."
Kayley also said that despite her ex's cowardice, his groomsmen stayed and enjoyed the wedding anyway.
"I'd always dreamed of dancing with my dad at my wedding," she added.
"He's 71, and I always had a fear that he and my mum, Dee, 63, wouldn't be at my wedding, so I always wanted to have my dance with him.
"My four brothers and the groomsmen joined in because 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 is now adjusting to life without her ex, but ultimately decided not to go on her honeymoon to Turkey.
The groom has still refused to comment.
Topics: Sex and Relationships
Emma Guinness