A bride who was left at the alter by her fiance has told of her amazement at the reaction to her experience. Kayley Stead, 27, had planned to wed Kallum Norton, 24, on September 15, 2022, at Oxwich Bay Hotel in Gower, Swansea, when he disappeared on the morning of their big day.
Left with the dilemma of carrying on or calling off the bash, the bride to be decided to go ahead with the reception party surrounded by friends and family. Kayley has now spoken with New Zealand media firm Good Lad to reflect on the moment seven months on.
According to the Express, she told how she was having her makeup done with her sister when she received the news that her boyfriend of four years had disappeared. The loved up bride said that she believed that he would return but never did.
Kayley said she was determined not to let the day go to waste with her choosing to spend it with friends and family, many of whom had travelled to the Welsh venue from Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere in the UK after years apart due to Covid. She walked into her reception to Lizzo's "Good as Hell" flanked by her bridal party and spent the evening dancing with her loved ones.
She described the night as the "best party I've ever had", stating she would "go back and do again". She reacted to the Good Lad's video post via her Facebook profile, saying she was happy to see her story continues to strike a chord.
Writing in a comment: "Still amazes me that my story lives on." The insurance clerk has experienced a fair share of heartbreak since last year, as she lost her mother, Dee Davies, on January 15.
Kayley credited her mother's influence for her strength on her wedding day. Writing in a post on Social Media: "I was always proud of what I achieved from carrying on with the party when I got left, but since my mother's passing its made the even more special.
"It'll be something I can always look back on and treasure the moment I got to have with my mam and family!
"My mam go to be by my side the whole way through, she was my biggest cheerleader and will forever be my best friend."
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