_(1).png)
A bride whose groom failed to show up at the altar decided to have the wedding of her dreams anyway.
Kayley Stead, 27, from Swansea, was getting ready for her wedding when she discovered that her partner of almost four years would not be attending.
But instead of calling off the celebration, Kayley decided to go ahead with her big day.
"I saw the groom at around 4pm the day before the wedding and I haven't heard from him since," says Kayley.
Advert
"We've tried to reach out to him, but I've had no response from him, no reason why. I've had no explanation - not that I want one now, because it's too far along the line.
"I didn't want to remember the day as complete sadness."
Kayley found out her partner wouldn't be attending while she was finalising her hair and make-up.
"We woke up at quarter past six when the make-up artist arrived, had breakfast together and then started getting ready," she adds.
Advert
"One of the groomsmen contacted my best friend to say the groom was gone, and 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."
At 11am, Kayley says she spoke to the groom's dad, claiming he told her his son would not be at the wedding.
"At that point, I was gone. I was sobbing," she says.
Advert
"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.
"As a joke, the videographer said: '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?'
"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 went ahead with her wedding entrance, meal, speeches, dances and even posed for professional photos without her groom.
Advert
She entered the party singing along to Lizzo's 'Good as Hell' and punched off the top tier of her wedding cake.
"I asked for 10 minutes to myself before I saw my guests, and then rather than walking down the aisle, I walked around the corner in my dress and had everybody just looking at me," she adds.
Rather than sharing her first dance with the groom, Kayley instead danced with her dad, brothers and the groomsmen to 'Love You To The Moon and Back' by Dolly Parton.
"I wanted to thank them for staying," she says.
Advert
"They didn't run away, and I would have totally understood if they did, but they stood by me the whole day."
Since the wedding, Kayley's friends have set up a GoFundMe page to try and help Kayley get some money back.
The groom has refused to comment.
Featured Image Credit: Neil Jones Photography/SWNSTopics: Sex and Relationships, Wedding