Bride, Dumped By Fiancé, Speaks About Epic ‘Trash The Dress’ Photoshoot [Video]
This bride was dumped by her fiancé, and she turned her heartbreak and devastation into an epic “trash the dress” photoshoot, thanks to a clever wedding photographer.
Shelby Swink, 23, has become an instant hit on the internet for her incredible resilience in the face of devastating heartbreak. The young woman explained to CNN that a few days before the wedding, her ex told her he was thinking about calling off the wedding, which she took as “cold feet.”
However, according to Swink, the next day he sat her down and told her, “You know, I’m not in love with you and I don’t wanna marry you and I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life with you.” Shelby refused to be “that girl” who everyone pitied and faced her heartbreak head on.
What photographer Elizabeth Hoard suggested next is just what Shelby needed. Hoard says she was hesitant at first, and didn’t know if her client would go for her idea. The dumped bride thought it was a crazy idea at first, since the dress was very expensive and she didn’t want to ruin it.
Showing more poise than many women in a similar situation would, Swink licked her wounds off, got up, and put on that wedding gown. What happened next is truly epic, and may even start a trend. Shelby refused to spend her would-be wedding day at home licking her wounds and “watching Netflix.”
“My friend Carol threw her paint on me, not hesitating for one second, and it splashed all over my dress,” Swink told the Huffington Post. “At that moment I just let it go, I was free of all the disappointment, all the hurt…”
But not only her friends were in on the “trash the dress” photoshoot for this dumped bride, her parents, who had spent a lot of money and time on their daughter’s wedding, also showed up to support Swink.
The dress is currently being displayed in a local bridal shop in Memphis with a portion of the shop’s sales during this time going to a local nonprofit called Be Free Revolution. Swink’s story has touched many, including Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, who shared her thoughts on a lengthy Facebook post.
“Weddings are important ceremonies, with a deep tradition behind them. But there’s no ceremony in place for how to get over being dumped a week before your wedding. So what this young woman did here? THAT’S how you create a homemade ritual, when you need one. That’s how you bring meaning and light back into your world when nothing makes sense anymore. That’s how you safely cross over to the next chapter.
“That’s how you say: ONWARD!”
“I bow down to her. She’s awesome.”
Swink is very pragmatic in the face of her adversity, and says the roller-coaster experience has reminded her to look inside herself for happiness.
“We define our own happiness, not who we’re with. You have to face life head on and use the lemons it gives you to make some awesome lemonade! Everything happens for a reason.”
Could you have a “trash the dress” photoshoot if you were in this dumped bride’s shoes?
[Image via Elizabeth Hoard Photography]
