I left my fiance seconds into our wedding, I was ready for happily ever after, but it ended with 5 words at 6am
A MUM has revealed she jilted her fiance on their wedding day despite being ‘terrified’ everyone would hate her – but it was the ‘best decision’ she’s ever made.
Alexis Saya was due to marry her ex-partner on 16 April 2023 in Huntington, Indiana, but made the ‘hard’ choice to leave on the morning of their big day.
The couple first met in high school and share a four-year-old child together, but had been on and off for years yet Alexis still remained in the relationship despite knowing she ‘wasn’t happy’.
Despite being faced with no job and being a single mum, the 23-year-old woke up on her wedding and just ‘knew she had to’ cancel the $40,000 (£32,000) celebrations her mum had forked out for.
She describes how she turned to her partner while still in bed on the morning of the wedding and said ‘we can’t get married today’ – before leaving him that day.
Taking to TikTok, the student nurse shared a photo from her wedding day compared to now, which has since gone viral with 144,100 views.
One photo shows Alexis looking tear-stricken at the camera captioned ‘the day I left my fiance on our wedding day’.
The next photo shows her beaming at the camera captioned ‘it’s now been 16 months’.
Many users took to the comments to praise the mum for her ‘brave’ decision while other users questioned, ‘why the wedding day?’
The mum wants to encourage others to leave a relationship if they are ‘questioning’ whether they should and she now ‘cannot wait to get married one day’ to the right person.
Alexis who lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said: “I don’t think that I’ve genuinely ever done anything harder. I felt like it was a decision I had just made but almost I didn’t have a say in it. I didn’t have control over it.
“It was about 6am. I said ‘I’m sorry, we can’t get married today’. He kind of looked at me and went back to sleep.
“I went into another room and called my mum. My sister was on the phone with other family telling them that I wasn’t going to go through with it.
“I wanted him to go grab our daughter so that I could leave because I didn’t really want to be there when everyone woke up and realised that I wasn’t going to get married.
“I woke him up again and said ‘I need you to go get her’. He was super confused and I said ‘we’re not getting married today’.
“He looked at me and was like ‘what are you talking about’. And I said ‘do you really think this is a marriage’. He went and got her and I left.
“I didn’t want to but I knew that I had to. I cried that whole day. It was awful. I took it harder than him. You’re giving up everything you’ve known.
“I was a stay-at-home mum at the time so I had nothing. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have money of my own. Everything was his.”
The mum-of-one went and took daughter Avielle straight to her mum’s house before moving back into her old apartment.
While she got into a ‘bad place after the wedding’ she now believes it was the ‘best decision’ she’s ever made.
Alexis said: “Right after I had wished that I’d gone through with it. I remember thinking, it was about 3pm, ‘I’d already be married now’. I got into a really bad palace after the wedding.
“I just couldn’t believe that I’d actually made the decision. I regretted it so badly for probably a while. Then it came to a point that I was really happy that I did it.
“I knew that I wasn’t happy in the relationship and I knew that. I just always tried to make myself believe that I was because I loved him.
“It’s something that I’ll always have with me and it’s a trauma that I think I’ll always carry but I’ve found a way to cope and deal with it better. But I think it was absolutely the best decision for me and my daughter.
“[My daughter] was probably the biggest reason I left. It came to a point where if I couldn’t do it for her, then it just isn’t fair. This is her only childhood and I’m in charge of it. That’s the best decision I’ve ever made even if it’s hard to accept.
“Everytime I see him it’s a reminder of why I left. I always wonder sometimes when it’s late at night and I’m in bed and I’m lonely and I’m just like ‘oh I wish I just had my family back’.
“I think of only the good times and then I see him again and it just reminds me all over again all of the bad that outweighs all of the good. And that’s why I left.”
The couple first met when they were just 16 years old and got engaged in 2020 after having their first child together.
She revealed the pair were on and off between 2019 and 2023 and things changed when they started planning the wedding but she will always be ‘thankful’ for their daughter.
t is the hardest thing to do to leave. I still can’t believe I did it
Alexis Saya
Alexis said: “The relationship wasn’t a good relationship. We were young, we were stupid.
“We purposely had a baby young, which I would never regret. He gave me the best thing ever in my life. I’m forever thankful to him for that.
“After my daughter was born we had broken up a few times and got back together a few times. I think I had in total three or four rings because of how many times we’d broken up.
“We’d finally in 2022 started planning the wedding. It was going to be a beautiful wedding. I was very excited. I think things kind of shifted for me.”
The parent admitted she never planned to end the relationship on her wedding day and feared the ‘terrifying’ decision would make everyone ‘hate’ her.
Signs your relationship is heading for a divorce
- Persistent Communication Breakdowns
Constant misunderstandings, arguments, or a complete lack of meaningful conversation can signal deep-seated issues. - Emotional Distance
Feeling like roommates rather than partners, with a noticeable lack of intimacy or emotional connection. - Frequent Criticism and Contempt
Regularly criticising each other and showing contempt, such as sarcasm, eye-rolling, or mocking, can erode the relationship’s foundation. - Unresolved Conflicts
Recurrent arguments about the same issues without any resolution can indicate deeper incompatibilities. - Loss of Trust
Trust is crucial in any relationship. If it’s been broken and cannot be rebuilt, it may be a sign that the relationship is in trouble. - Different Life Goals
Significant differences in future aspirations, such as career goals, lifestyle choices, or family planning, can create insurmountable divides. - Avoidance
Preferring to spend time apart rather than together, whether through work, hobbies, or social activities, can indicate a desire to escape the relationship. - Lack of Support
Feeling unsupported, whether emotionally, financially, or practically, can lead to feelings of isolation and resentment. - Financial Disagreements
Constantly arguing about money, spending habits, or financial priorities can strain the relationship. - Infidelity
Whether physical or emotional, infidelity can be a major breach of trust and a sign of deeper issues in the relationship. - Changes in Affection
A noticeable decrease in affection, physical touch, or romantic gestures can indicate a loss of connection.
Alexis said: “When you do make decisions like that you think everyone’s going to hate you. That’s how I felt. I thought I was going to lose my mum because she paid for the wedding. I was terrified.
“I feel like people think just because I say I left on my wedding day ‘she must just not care or be able to do whatever’. It was terrifying, truly. It was very hard.
“Even my own family said ‘well why did you wait’. I genuinely went to bed that night thinking I was going to wake up and get married. You also only see a snippet of the situation. I think it’s all situational.
“I would never have chosen it to be that day. I never did anything maliciously towards him. I never wanted to hurt him.
“We had talked on the phone that day after I left. Maybe 4pm. I was just crying ‘I didn’t want to do this to hurt you. I just couldn’t do it’.”
The mum encourages others to leave a relationship if they are having doubts and ‘cannot wait’ to hopefully getting married in the future.
Alexis said: “I would tell anybody that if you even have a question of if you should leave then you should. And you might go back but you might not and it might be the best decision you ever make.
“It is the hardest thing to do to leave. I still can’t believe I did it.
“There’s still times it’s hard but I have to remind myself I will find somebody that loves me and my daughter. I cannot wait to get married one day. I can’t wait to have more kids.”
Many users praised Alexis in the comments.
One user said: “You are so brave. So any people wouldn’t do this even if they felt it.”
Another user said: “Congrats on putting yourself first.”
A third user said: “That must have been so hard.”
Other users criticised Alexis for waiting until the wedding day.
One user said: “Why the wedding day?”
Another user said: “Why do people always wait for the wedding day. That’s so scary.”