A bride who canceled her £32,000 wedding has shared the moment she knew she had to call it off.
Alexis Saya, 23, was set to marry her fiancé on April 16, 2023, in Indiana, US, but walked away on the morning of their big day. The couple, who share a four-year-old child, had to cancel their costly wedding, which was funded by Alexis’ mother.
On TikTok, the student nurse posted a photo from the wedding day with the caption: “The day I left my fiancé on our wedding day.” Despite the heartbreak, Alexis says it was the “best decision” she ever made.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything harder. It felt like the decision was out of my hands,” she said.
At 6:00 a.m., Alexis told her fiancé, “I’m sorry, we can’t get married today.” He looked at her and went back to sleep. She called her mom and had her sister inform the rest of the family.
“I didn’t want to be there when everyone woke up and realized I wasn’t going to get married,” she explained.
Alexis asked her fiancé to get their daughter so she could leave. Confused, he asked why, and she repeated, “We’re not getting married today.” She took their daughter to her mom’s house and moved back to her old apartment.
Leaving was hard. The couple had been together since they were 16 and got engaged in 2020. “I was a stay-at-home mom, so I had nothing of my own—no job, no money,” Alexis said.
Afterward, she struggled with regret, thinking, “I would have been married now.” She went through a tough time but later felt relief. “I was happy I did it,” she admitted.
Although Alexis loved her ex, she said she had been pretending to be happy. Her daughter was a big reason for leaving. “This is her only childhood, and I’m responsible for it. It was the best decision for both of us,” she shared.
Seeing her ex now reminds her why she left. “At night, I think of the good times and wish for my family back. But when I see him, I remember the bad times that outweighed the good. That’s why I left.”