My fiance dumped me days before £30k wedding – he didn’t give me any reason why, then I realised I had a narrow escape

Jessica Buchanan, 33, a make-up artist and content creator from Toronto, Canada, tells Fabulous how her fiancé cancelled their wedding just three weeks beforehand.

“There was a moment of silence after he spoke, then I realised I was screaming. Picking up the photo of us from my bedside table, I hurled it against the wall and burst into tears.

With less than three weeks until the big day, my fiancé had called off our wedding.

I first met Adam* in 2010 at a university party when we were both 19. He was cute and funny, but we were just friends until our first date in July 2015. By September, we were a couple. 

We loved each other and never argued. But as the years passed, I did sometimes ask myself: ‘Is this how finding The One is supposed to feel?’ 

In March 2022, Adam organised a huge proposal. He’d filled a warehouse with candles and a giant heart made of flowers.

Knowing I’m a massive Taylor Swift fan, he played Love Story as I walked in to find all my friends and family there. It was like a scene from a movie.

I’d never pushed to get married – but seeing how much Adam loved me, the effort he’d made, was the greatest feeling in the world. 

The euphoria didn’t last, though. From the start, Adam didn’t seem to me to be interested in wedding planning. I thought that was normal, and as a creative person, I threw myself into it.

I found a converted greenhouse for the 130 guests and picked five themed buffets, paying a £4,000 deposit. I also created a huge bulletin board at home covered in sticky notes for all the tasks that needed doing.

I had an amazing day choosing my £4,000 wedding dress – the second I saw all the lace and sparkles, I knew it was the one. My mum and sister cried when they saw me in it.

But as everything came together, I sensed something wasn’t right. Adam and I started arguing, which we’d never done before. I loved him deeply and wanted him to be happy.

I told him if he couldn’t talk to me, to go and talk to someone else. I tried to push away my worries and doubled down on planning. 

On April 1, 2023, I had my bridal shower and partied with my friends and family. But all the while, I had a growing feeling of dread.

A couple of days later, I’d had a bad feeling all morning and was still trying to calm my nerves when Adam walked in. The second I saw his face, I just knew.

But hearing him say that he couldn’t get married, I lost it. A wave of anger and humiliation hit me. As I shouted, Adam stood there looking broken.

He couldn’t give any specific reasons – he just kept saying how terrible he felt, how he hated doing this. We knew our relationship was over. 

Adam went to stay at his dad’s, and I was left at home, surrounded by wedding stuff. I couldn’t stop crying. We’d wasted around £16,000, but my family were so supportive – they only cared about my happiness. 

I didn’t want to see Adam after that, but we had to decide how to tell our guests. We messaged them: ‘The wedding has been cancelled, please respect our privacy.’ But some people thought it was a late April Fool’s joke! 

I couldn’t face spending my wedding day at home, so I made a decision to go to a Taylor Swift concert. I paid £1,700 for a ticket and flew to Texas, 1,300 miles away.

On April 21, instead of floating down the aisle in my wedding gown – which is still in my wardrobe – I was in a packed stadium in a sparkly jacket, singing my heart out. It was amazing. 

Over the next year, I let go of my anger. I’ve started dating a lovely guy, and have realised that Adam and I had a narrow escape.

Our marriage would never have worked, and when we see each other at parties now, we’re civil. On what would have been our wedding anniversary, I threw a Taylor Swift party for my girlfriends and felt nothing but joy. 

I don’t know if I’ll ever get married. But I’ve learned how important it is to be honest with the person you love. No relationship can survive without it.” 

Follow Jessica on Instagram @Makeitjess.