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“I do,” said the bride, and gently she pressed her lips against a mirror, sealing the sacred bond she’d made with . . . herself!
For a long time Meg Taylor Morrison from Georgia in the US was adamant she’d tie the knot with her long-term partner in a suitably spooky ceremony on Halloween, her favourite day of the year.
Her dreams were dashed when she and her boyfriend split up a few months before Halloween last year. But heartbroken Meg decided she’d still have the wedding of her dreams – and a groom wouldn’t be necessary.
“I decided to marry
myself as an act of self-love,” she told the Daily Mail.
“I'd heard about self-marriage ceremonies and I thought, ‘I don't need someone else to have this wedding’.”
The 35-year-old then started planning her big day – which cost $1 390 (about R20 000) – and initially it was an uncomfortable experience.
“I was excited to plan my wedding but also nervous at first about what people might think. Was it selfish to have an entire celebration dedicated to just me? Could I get myself a ring? Would people think I was compensating for not being married?
“My mom, who’s my biggest supporter, was uncomfortable with it at first. She thought it might be seen as egocentric and wanted me to be careful of how it came across to others.”
Despite her initial unease, Meg decided to put herself first.
“Part of marrying myself was about going beyond people-pleasing or trying to look a certain way. It was about saying yes to my own desires,” says Meg, a life coach.
On the big day, Meg
invited 10 of her closest friends and family to a venue in Colorado. Guests
were welcomed with bubble wands and tambourines.
“The dress code for the event was whatever made people feel the most like themselves,” she said.
While guests blew bubbles and hummed Here Comes the Bride, Meg walked down the aisle with a friend.
“I said my vows and couldn't help but cry throughout them.
“I cut the cake and every person at the wedding fed it to me in whatever way they wanted. We then had an evening of dancing and ordered in some food.
“My friends were so wonderful. They brought me wedding gifts, treated the time as sacred and special and said beautiful words,” Meg says.
READ MORE | This bodybuilder finally tied the knot with a rubber doll after putting the ceremony on hold due to Covid-19
To share the good news with her Instagram followers, Meg posted a video of herself dancing in bubbles while donning a long, flowy beige dress.
“I married myself in a self-love ceremony yesterday, surrounded by friends. We laughed. We cried. We hugged a lot,” she captioned her post.
Meg hopes her story
will encourage more people to pursue self-marriage and insists there’s nothing
wrong with being single.
“I wear my ring every day and it reminds me to listen to my intuition and make decisions that align with my values,’ Meg said.
“It also acts as a reminder that loving myself first is the basis for healthy relationships with others, whether it’s my next romantic partner or my relationships with my family members.”
Sources: Daily Mail, Metro, Instagram
