Just a few weeks before Sandra Blanco was due to get married, her fiance got cold feet and they had to call off the wedding.
They’d been together for one and a half years and be proposed in November 2017.
They planned a shotgun wedding in Vegas in six weeks but as the big day approached, he changed his mind.
They broke up but Sandra, 32, from London, couldn’t get a refund on anything – so she decided to make the most of it and marry herself instead.
She booked a model for a wedding-themed shoot with a photographer before having a ceremony at The Little Vegas Chapel with a man dressed as Elvis Presley as the officiator.
The result of the trip changed her whole perception of love and that you need to love yourself in order for anyone else to love you.
Sandra said: ‘At some point in November 2017, I didn’t think my ex was committed and invested in the relationship enough after a year and a half, so I wanted to move back to London and leave him.
‘Soon after this, he proposed and I said yes – I mean, all I wanted was a reciprocated relationship and I wanted to understand that maybe this was the wake-up call he needed.
‘We decided to elope in Vegas, as I know lots of people in the wedding industry; I planned and booked everything quickly within just six weeks.
‘A week before Christmas, he told me he wanted to take a step back, to go back to having a light relationship, while we spoke about buying a house together.
‘A ‘light relationship’? That was not ok with me. The wedding simply couldn’t go ahead but on the positive side, I thought that we could still go to Vegas and enjoy ourselves without any pressure.
‘I thought this might encourage him to communicate more openly and positively with me.
‘After a few days, all of a sudden, I had to leave home, pack seven years of my life in boxes and my business workshop and move back to London from Valencia where I was a flight attendant.
‘I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone packing boxes and searching for a place to stay in London with a studio for my flower crown business.
‘He said he didn’t want to be with me – that was it. Apparently, he had been feeling like this even before he proposed; I was confused, devastated and in shock.’
Heartbroken, Sandra thought about cancelling the wedding but unable to get a refund, she decided to go to Vegas alone in a bid to make the most of the situation.
‘It was going to be a very depressing January; I was not looking forward to 2018. But at least I could actually go to Vegas.
‘My 30th birthday was due to take place while we were in Vegas, so it was one more reason to go and celebrate.
‘I searched online stories about being dumped that could help me feel better but everything I found was sad or written out of rage.
‘This is when I decided to write a love story about my experience to inspire other people who have been through a similar journey.’
She decided she could also use the opportunity to shoot some images for her flower bridal crown business called Sophie and Luna.
‘I told Natalie, the photographer, what happened and she said she was happy to join me; I mentioned to her that I create flower crowns and it occurred to me that while we were out there, we could shoot some campaign images for Sophie and Luna,’ she said.
‘The photographer was there, and I could fill a case full of pretty flower crowns and dresses – that’s it. I had something new and exciting to focus on, but no groom.
‘I contacted a recommended male mode, Iain Spivey. Thankfully, he loved my crazy idea and he agreed about joining us for the shoot.
‘During our trip to Vegas, Iain, Natalie and I all bonded and became good friends; I got a tattoo in Vegas that means ‘friendship’ in Navajo and three dots to symbolise turning thirty during the trip.
‘We did the most amazing road trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon and stayed there for four days; it was spectacular, and I shall never forget the experience, it was truly breath-taking.’
Then when the day for the actual wedding ceremony came, Sandra made a commitment just to herself.
She said: ‘It was beautiful, emotional and moving; it was a ceremony where I committed to be good to and take care of myself.
‘I’m a big fan of ‘cheesy’ and I wanted to make fun of such a situation, so I went to The Little Vegas Chapel; as I walked down the aisle by myself, the officiator, dressed as Elvis Presley, of course, spoke the kindest of words.
‘They were exactly what I needed to hear, right there and then. He said, “Sandra, today is a special day for you; you’ve come here to make a promise to yourself.
‘”Today you planned to come here with your boyfriend, unfortunately, it didn’t work out and yet you still have the courage to come here now to make a promise to yourself. It is time to fully live your life, your wild and precious life.
‘”It is time to untie the stories, distractions and illustrations that keep you small and lean into the life that is waiting for you. Time to honour your innermost values, time to be gentle with your innocent heart, time to stand firmly by what you know to be true and make a bold, lifelong commitment to love.”
She said that she’s learnt that the most important kind of love is not the love that you feel for another person, but the love you must feel for yourself.
‘I truly believe that learning to love everything about yourself means that you will not settle until you find the kind of love you know is right for you; sincere, deep and in it for the long haul.
‘The kind of love that makes you feel stronger when you are at your weakest, the kind that adds to and enhances your life.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/16/woman-gets-dumped-weeks-wedding-marries-vegas-instead-11915743/
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