A bride-to-be who called off her wedding kept her photographer's booking and captured the moment she trashed her dress.
Meredith Mata's four-year relationship came to a spectacular end and she decided to "find strength and beauty in a situation that was so heartbreaking".
Caking her stunning dress in black paint, she got the wedding snapper to chronicle the whole thing.
Devastated Meredith, from Washington, US, took off her gown and was seen hauling it across the floor after changing into a short black minidress.
The photographer then captured the dental hygienist destroying it after she filled water guns with paint - and officially consigning her relationship to history.
She said: “Something like this gives women a chance to get dolled up, and do something fun instead of sulking in the misery.
“I had seen divorce parties and trash the dress shoots and always thought it was really cool but I never thought I'd be in that situation."
Everyone close to Meredith supported her decision to do the photoshoot, which took place at a venue she had considered for her ceremony.
She said: “Everyone was very supportive and once they understood the concept they thought it was pretty cool.”
Despite wanting the empowering shoot, Meredith stopped at trashing her £2,700 dress.
She said: “When I picked my dress, my ex told me not to choose something revealing.
“It’s a beautiful dress but it wasn't something I had necessarily envisioned, so for the shoot I chose a gorgeous dress I would have preferred over my real dress. It only cost £205.
Asked why after breaking up, she would want to have photos taken in a wedding dress, Meredith said: “A lot of women dream of their wedding day, and to have that completely crushed is really hard.
“I spent months seeking answers. Trying to separate myself from the life I created with this person. Life doesn’t always go as planned.
“I didn't feel a whole lot of sadness putting on a wedding dress. I was just excited and a little nervous to be doing it, but I absolutely felt empowered.
“After this shoot I truly felt beautiful, like a badass. It was a power move.
“To me, it says "Hey, I'm not afraid to walk this world alone. I am not broken and you will regret this."
Meredith celebrated her ‘un-engagement’ with friends and said: “It was important to me to have my girls involved.
“There are many ways a dress can be trashed. I've seen women go mudding or in the ocean or set it on fire.
“This is what makes a shoot like this so unique because you can go in so many directions with it.”
Meredith got engaged in September 2020 and says they had bought a house together but it wasn’t meant to be.
She said: “Things had taken a turn in the relationship and it was over in June.
“I had a gut-wrenching feeling and later found out he had cheated on me so I know it was for the best.”
Meredith managed to get the deposit back from the venue and luckily not much else had been paid for in full when she cancelled.
She added: “At the end of the day, life goes on and is what you make it. This is just another chapter in my story.”
"The photos tell a good story that's for sure.”
However, in a strange twist, Meredith is now in contact with the woman her ex fiancé cheated with.
She said: “We talk every day. We went out and got drunk and shared stories.
“It's too early to tell, but I may have gained a friend through this terrible situation.”
