Being dumped a week before your wedding is a painful nightmare in and of itself. When it happens after you’ve also spent 18 months planning a three-day destination event in Italy, it becomes a logistical disaster as well.
But 36-year-old Katherine Jones didn’t cancel.
The Liverpool native had everything booked for her dream wedding in Tuscany when, seven days before the ceremony, her fiancé walked away.
Jones was devastated and “tossed and turned” all that night. But by the morning, she’d made a decision. So, she called up her mom and sister and told them the party was still happening.
“It carries on, and it has to,” Jones told Good Morning Britain. “It’s seven days before; everything’s paid for. Everyone’s booked their flights; like, there’s no option.”
Her family spread the word, and ultimately 30 of her closest friends and relatives flew to Italy to celebrate her anyway.
Her former in-laws-to-be stayed home, but Jones understood and made clear that there was no bad blood. Had they come, it would’ve been a painful reminder of her ex. With them not there, she joked that it just meant there was “more room” for everyone else at the venue.
The three-day Tuscany trip shifted from a wedding party to a celebration of independence. Her mother and sister still gave toasts, but they were more focused on honoring her as a person. Surrounded by her support system, Jones admitted she was still heartbroken, but everyone there gave her the strength to laugh instead of cry.
Since posting her story, Jones has attracted attention from local Italians, with several vineyard owners and even the Mayor of Val d’Orcia officially inviting her to return for a visit.
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