Shelby Swink was left 5 days before her wedding by the man she loved for three years. Gladly, she found a great way to cope. “A pity party was the farthest thing from what I wanted or needed,” she said. However, the wedding photographer thought of a great idea to have a “trash the dress” photoshoot on the wedding day. Not only Shelby completely ruined her wedding dress, but her friends and family did the same thing for their formal outfits too. The day when the bride was supposed to cry over her unfullfilled dreams turned into an awesome play-date with her family and friends, filled with laughter and excitement. “I can’t even describe how liberating and cathartic the experience was for me,” she said on Offbeatbride. “The moment the first bit of paint hit my dress I was free.” Way to go, girl! We wish Shelby all the best and sincerely believe she will never have to deal with such heartbreak again.

“Bam. My dreams of marrying and having kids with what I thought was the man I would spend the rest of my life with vanished,” she said on Offbeatbride.

“Nov. 1 was supposed to be a fun and happy day surrounded by friends and family who loved me. I decided that I would not let my ex-fiancé’s mistake of letting me go take that away from me.”