Young women dream of having a grand wedding when they find the right person to marry. They long to have a ceremony they see in fairy tales and stand beside their Prince Charming. However, not all dreams come true, but all is well in the end. Such as a woman in the UK who saved money for her dream wedding. After 10 years of searching for Mr. Right, she still could not find the perfect man to marry. The day came when she decided to marry herself, and she ended up being happy and content.
42-year-old Sarah Wilkinson from the UK used to love dressing up as a bride when she was a child, wearing a plastic tiara and a bubble skirt. When she was 15, she would always fantasize about being a bride one day. She would plan a fairy-tale wedding with her beloved, give birth to twins a year after the wedding, and live happily ever after as a family of 4.
However, things did not go as planned when she grew up. After ending a 4-year relationship, she waited another 10 years looking for her Prince Charming, but to no avail. When Sarah turned 40, she was beginning to realize her dream might not come true. Then she discovered she could “marry herself” if the right man did not come along. Due to the pandemic, she had to hold off on the wedding. She was able to buy herself an engagement ring.
When the worldwide lockdown was lifted, Sarah’s friends confirmed if she was still pushing through with her wedding. They claimed she was insistent and began planning her own fairy-tale wedding in January 2023. With the blessings of 40 friends and guests, she successfully held a one-person wedding and walked the red carpet with her mother. Sarah revealed she spent around US$12,500 (about £10,000) for her lone wedding.
“It was a lovely day for me to be the centre of attention,” Sarah said. “The ceremony wasn’t an official wedding, but I had my wedding day. I think you get to the point where you think, ‘I might not have this with a partner by my side, but why should I miss out?’ That money was reserved for my wedding – it was a case of it’s there, and why not use it for something I want to do.”
On Sarah Wilkinson’s wedding invitation, it specifically said, “groom not included.” On top of her wedding cake was a bride kissing a frog, since the groom did not exist yet. At the reception, instead of throwing the usual wedding bouquet, she threw champagne. It was a symbol that she was celebrating herself. However, Sarah revealed that she is not closing the opportunity to meet Mr. Right one day. For now, all she just wanted was to celebrate her lone wedding day.
“As much as it was about Sarah, it was about bringing everyone together,” said Katherine Cresswell, Sarah’s wedding planner and close friend who conducted the wedding ceremony. “There’s always a need to celebrate, and I think we need it more than ever right now.”
I hope, after reading this story, every young woman will believe that they alone can control their happiness and can still achieve contentment while living on her own.
Images credits: © BBC News Online
