One mum decided to celebrate her single status by painting her wedding gown with paint and burning it. She claimed that she would rather destroy it than give it away.
Abby Thomson from Cleveland, Middlesbrough threw a party for herself after she received confirmation that her marriage was over in September. This took place nine months after the filing of December 2020.
She invited her friends and family, as well as neighbours, to the celebration of ending a “bad” part of her life.
The full-time carer held onto the strapless £1,000 gown during the lengthy divorce process but said she was glad to be rid of it when the legal split was confirmed.
Abby Thomson had just divorced her husband and sang and danced along to Little Mix’s ‘Shout out To My Ex’. Friends hurled buckets full of bright blue paint at the gown.
The party took delight in burning the £1000 wedding gown until only ashes remained and Abby declared that part of her life was over
Full-time carer decided to destroy the gown as a safe and healthy way of getting rid of any negative memories
Abby dances and sings to Little Mix’s ‘Shout out To My Ex’ at the Halloween party. Friends throw buckets of bright blue paint on the gown.
Abby is now covered with blue paint and her dress is tossed into a heap.
One-year-old mother of one said that her body was covered with paint and her son Bobby joked about how she “looked like an ant.”
Abby from stated that the idea for the dress was hers. She had many bad childhood memories.
As it was filled with bad memories from her marriage, she wanted the mom-of-one to throw away her wedding gown forever
Abby had the party’s attendees throw paint over her dress that her sister’s next-door neighbour had from recently decorating
“I felt that it was the final part of our relationship and that I wanted to get rid of that.”
“I was angry and hurt, and I needed to express that in a safe manner. So, I decided to ruin the dress.’.
“I invited my neighbors, friends and family to paint on the wedding gown.
“Fortunately, my sister’s neighbor next door had just decorated and had approximately five paint tubs left.
One-year-old mother of one said that her body was covered with paint and that Bobby, her seven-year old son, laughed at the joke.
“When they were throwing paint at my face, it felt like I was letting out all of my anger – and all the bad that came with it.”
“I then burned it, so that there was nothing left.
“It was entirely gone from the Earth forever, and all attachments to it were also taken with it.”
“That time in my life has ended and I have a whole new one to live and experience.”
Since Abby was 17, the mum lived with Abby for seven years. They shared a house together.
“It was a long time before I could get rid of the paint.
“My son found it so funny that he made jokes about me saying I was a smurf. He even shared it with his school friends.”
The gown was worth £1,000 but the former bride bagged it for a discounted £500 in a clearance sale.
She said that despite the reasonable price, the cost of the gown was not worth the time and effort it took to destroy it.
Abby Thomson and her husband, David Thomson on their wedding day. After they welcomed their son, the marriage collapsed.
Abby explained that she had intended to simply burn the dress, but instead of throwing the paint, the release was more enjoyable and the celebration became more exciting.
“Someone recommended donating it, but the charity that I reached out to stated they weren’t overwhelmed by it and wouldn’t use it.”
“I had considered selling it, but it seemed jinxed to me – it was a bad sign that I couldn’t pass on to anyone.”
“I was so content to watch it burn, and it felt like I had found peace. It was the end for a piece of my life.
Abby expressed her gratitude for having the idea to paint Abby’s wedding dress before she burned it.
Abby got married to her husband November 2018 and filed for divorce two year later, when they ran into difficulties.
She was seven years married to her ex, and they shared a home with their son.
After they tied the knot in November 2018, Abby filed for divorce two years later, as their relationship ended.
The carer claimed that although she initially felt like a failure because of the split in her relationship, she now feels empowered and has destroyed her wedding dress. This marks a new start.
Abby shared that she thought the initial relationship was beautiful. I was 17 at the time we met and it was almost like being a puppy.
Abby described her relationship’s beginnings as beautiful, and she was only 17 when it began. She felt that this was young love.
The dress, which Abby bought on sale for £500, was burned until it was ‘gone from the earth’. It was offered for sale by the ex-bride, but she refused to sell it.
“Things began to fall apart when my son was born. I realized quickly that it wasn’t enough and decided to just stop worrying.
“I was relieved, but I felt a bit sad.” I felt like a failure because I am 26 and a single mom, divorcée, and that my efforts to make the marriage work had been so unsuccessful, it felt all but futile.
“The gown was kept in my loft from that time, with a small piece lingering, but that is all gone now.”
She now claims that her mum would suggest the same therapeutic experience to any person going through a separation to help them let go and heal.
Abby stated that it was “the best feeling” and it can be a relief if you feel like you have failed.
“It is irreversible, it cannot be undone and you will never get the dress back. It’s over.