A Welsh bride who was jilted by her groom on her wedding day has been given £2,000 to enjoy a holiday with her bridesmaids. Kayley Stead, 27, appeared on This Morning in her wedding dress on Monday (September 26) after finding out that her nuptials earlier this month wouldn't be going ahead as planned when her groom didn't show up. But Kayley went ahead with the day anyway.
Kayley's big day was planned for September 15 at the Oxwich Bay Hotel in Gower. However, the bride-to-be was left devastated on the morning of her wedding after receiving the news that her groom wasn't going to be showing up.
They had agreed that they wouldn't speak the night before the wedding, however, the following morning, one of the groomsmen contacted Kayley's best friend to say that the groom "was gone."
Read more: Devastated bride goes ahead with party that cost her entire life savings after groom stood her up
Kayley and two of her bridesmaids joined Holly and Phil on This Morning to discuss her ordeal. Having been with her partner for four years, Holly asked Kayley if there had been any signs leading up to the wedding, with Kayley saying: "I wish there was, because then I'd have a reason to kind of back up his decision, but there wasn't. I wouldn't like to say it's perfect, because no relationship is perfect, but I honestly believed it was, like we were each other's person."
Kayley continued: "I always dreamed of marrying Sleeping Beauty's prince and he looked exactly like that. The way that we met was kind of serendipitous, what I thought was fate. But, unfortunately, fate had another plan." At around 11am, just after Kayley had finished having her makeup done, she spoke to the groom's dad on the phone, who said her partner had been in touch and would not be coming to the wedding - leaving Kayley "sobbing."
Despite being jilted, Kayley decided to carry on with the day without the groom. While the groom's family left, the groomsmen, as well as all of Kayley's friends, family and loved ones stayed on to help her celebrate. Kayley was joined by the groomsmen and bridesmaids as they sang and danced along to Lizzo's Good as Hell on their way to the top table, replacing the traditional bride and groom's entrance.
Jordie Cullen, one of the bridesmaids who received the phone call to say that the groom had left, told the presenters that she initially thought it was a joke. "He had to tell me about four times that he really had gone and taken car and everything," she said, adding that she was "shaking" before she had to tell Kayley.
Becoming emotional on the show as she recalled the events of that day, Kayley said that the groom's dad had told her that the groom was "safe but he's four hours away", just an hour before the wedding was due to start. Katie Stead, Kayley's sister, said it was "heartbreaking" but that she was "proud" of her strength on the day.
"The fact that everybody stayed meant more t me than anything else and I just wanted to kind of celebrate that - celebrate my girls because I'm a woman's girl and always will be," Kayley said, adding that it was the "toughest time" she's had in her life.
But, unbeknownst to Kayley, Holly and Phil had a surprise in store. "We think you deserve a honeymoon, so Hayes traveller provided us with £1,000 to put towards a trip of your choice and This Morning's going to match that, adding another £1,000 for you to have with your closest friends," Phil told an emotional Kayley.
Kayley's had originally planned to go to Turkey for the honeymoon, but, following the results of her wedding day, had been unable to. "I need some sun, I need to get some sun on me" Kayley told the presenters after the big reveal. "Thank you so much for having us here," she added.
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