Kayley Stead, from Swansea, who was left at the altar in 2022, is getting married again after finding love with Richard, a man she has known for over a decade. She shared her story on Monday's Good Morning Britain with presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls.
A viral decision after being jilted
Kayley was due to marry who she thought was the man of her dreams in 2022, but when he didn't turn up on the big day, she decided to go ahead with her wedding anyway. Her decision went viral after clips of her wedding were shown online, where she enjoyed her party in her wedding dress, with speeches and dancing, but no husband to be seen.
Four years later, Kayley has found love again and is now marrying Richard. Talking about how things are different now, as Ed teased whether she'd be wearing the same dress, Kayley said: "This dress is completely different but represents me, a 31-year-old woman rather than I was 27 at the time. I've changed, I've grown, styles have changed."
Richard reached out after the wedding
Kayley's now-fiancé reached out after her first wedding, when he realised she had been left at the altar. "At the time, everybody was sending floods of messages because nobody would expect anybody to be left at the altar, it only happens in movies. And he expressed his apologies, his mum reached out, his dad reached out," Kayley explained.
Kayley had originally met Richard at university, and he gave her a year after the wedding to "find herself" before he asked her out. "He went, we're going on a date, it's about time, a risk it for a biscuit type of situation, he booked us an Air B&B," she revealed.
A superstitious wedding date
Kayley was then surprised with a message from Richard on Good Morning Britain, as she admitted that she didn't think she'd be left at the altar the first time, but it could "happen again". Surprising her in a pre-recorded video clip, Richard told Kayley that she didn't "need to worry one bit", and that he would be marrying her on Friday 13th, their planned date.
Explaining why she chose that superstitious date, Kayley said: "I've always lived at number 13 my whole life, it's my childhood. And unknowingly, we've actually known each other for 13 years this year, so it was fate."
A story of hope
She went on to recall how much she did enjoy her first wedding, despite the groom not turning up. She said: "It was a great party, I'm glad I had no groom because I got to enjoy my bar, got to drink plenty of tequila."
Talking about Richard, he added: "He's a great man. He actually asked me out in the first year of university but I said no, and then, I asked him out in third year, but he said no, because he thought, I need to get some back."
"It's a story of hope," Ed praised, while Susanna said: "Sometimes you're in your darkest moment, and actually, you can completely turn it around and it can deliver your most happy experience." Kayley added: "It was all meant to be."
