The jilted bride who refused to miss out on her big day
24th January 2007
I will survive: Jilted bride Ema Knight on 'honeymoon' in St Malo
She had the dress, the cake and 200 wedding guests ready to toast her happiness.
Unfortunately for Ema Knight, she didn't have a bridegroom.
With just days to go, and the champagne practically on ice, her fiance Paul Fox suddenly decided he wasn't ready for marriage.
But Miss Knight, 41, refused to crumple into a meringue of despair. She picked herself up, dusted herself off and went ahead with the party anyway.
More than 100 guests turned up in their wedding best, commiserated with the brave bride-not-to-be and released balloons into the evening sky.
Miss Knight decided not to wear her dream wedding dress after all. In a hastily bought replacement outfit, she cut the couple's four-tier wedding cake and shared it among her guests.
The next day she went on her honey- moon to St Malo in France - with her best friend. Now the mental health nurse from Portland, Dorset, is trying to put her broken romance behind her. Not to mention the £15,000 she spent on the wedding that wasn't.
She has placed an advertisement in her local newspaper under the blunt heading: "Jilted Bride". It lists everything from her unworn £1,500 wedding gown, to bridesmaids" dresses and groomsmen"s cufflinks for sale.
"When Paul walked out on me I didn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to sit at home and cry," Miss Knight recalled.
"But then a friend of mine said that with everything booked I should treat myself to some sort of celebration to cheer myself up.
"I had 200 guests travelling down from London, York and Bristol who had made arrangements and booked hotel rooms so I thought I should do something to entertain them.
"I was dubious at first but in fact it was a magic night.
"More than 100 people turned up and we had a great time.
"There were a few of Paul's friends there and I'm not sure what they made of it.
"At one point Paul even turned up because he wanted to see what was going on but he soon left.
"We had the wedding cake and at the end of the night we went outside and released all the balloons into the street. It was good fun and it cheered me up no end.
"It was the best we could make of a bad situation."
Miss Knight said she and Mr Fox, 37, had been together for three years before he got "cold feet".
"I sold my house so we could move in together," she recalled.
"We were in our new home surrounded by packing boxes when he popped the question.
"I was thrilled to bits. I had money from the house sale and wanted a fairytale wedding.
"I didn't want to scrimp. I think he just got spooked.
"I came home from work and he just said it had all got too much for him.
"Maybe he felt under pressure, maybe there was some leg-pulling from his mates in the pub, but he felt the easiest thing to do was walk away."
Miss Knight has already sold some wedding items at car boot sales. She is hoping to get rid of the rest through her newspaper advertisement.
"I know I am not going to get the money I spent on the wedding back but it would be nice to get something," she said.
"I have hardly seen the dress. It came back from the fitters and has been in storage ever since.
"It is a lovely dress and it hasn't been used."
24th January 2007
She had the dress, the cake and 200 wedding guests ready to toast her happiness.
Unfortunately for Ema Knight, she didn't have a bridegroom.
With just days to go, and the champagne practically on ice, her fiance Paul Fox suddenly decided he wasn't ready for marriage.
But Miss Knight, 41, refused to crumple into a meringue of despair. She picked herself up, dusted herself off and went ahead with the party anyway.
More than 100 guests turned up in their wedding best, commiserated with the brave bride-not-to-be and released balloons into the evening sky.
Miss Knight decided not to wear her dream wedding dress after all. In a hastily bought replacement outfit, she cut the couple's four-tier wedding cake and shared it among her guests.
The next day she went on her honey- moon to St Malo in France - with her best friend. Now the mental health nurse from Portland, Dorset, is trying to put her broken romance behind her. Not to mention the £15,000 she spent on the wedding that wasn't.
She has placed an advertisement in her local newspaper under the blunt heading: "Jilted Bride". It lists everything from her unworn £1,500 wedding gown, to bridesmaids" dresses and groomsmen"s cufflinks for sale.
"When Paul walked out on me I didn't want to talk to anyone. I wanted to sit at home and cry," Miss Knight recalled.
"But then a friend of mine said that with everything booked I should treat myself to some sort of celebration to cheer myself up.
"I had 200 guests travelling down from London, York and Bristol who had made arrangements and booked hotel rooms so I thought I should do something to entertain them.
"I was dubious at first but in fact it was a magic night.
"More than 100 people turned up and we had a great time.
"There were a few of Paul's friends there and I'm not sure what they made of it.
"At one point Paul even turned up because he wanted to see what was going on but he soon left.
"We had the wedding cake and at the end of the night we went outside and released all the balloons into the street. It was good fun and it cheered me up no end.
"It was the best we could make of a bad situation."
Miss Knight said she and Mr Fox, 37, had been together for three years before he got "cold feet".
"I sold my house so we could move in together," she recalled.
"We were in our new home surrounded by packing boxes when he popped the question.
"I was thrilled to bits. I had money from the house sale and wanted a fairytale wedding.
"I didn't want to scrimp. I think he just got spooked.
"I came home from work and he just said it had all got too much for him.
"Maybe he felt under pressure, maybe there was some leg-pulling from his mates in the pub, but he felt the easiest thing to do was walk away."
Miss Knight has already sold some wedding items at car boot sales. She is hoping to get rid of the rest through her newspaper advertisement.
"I know I am not going to get the money I spent on the wedding back but it would be nice to get something," she said.
"I have hardly seen the dress. It came back from the fitters and has been in storage ever since.
"It is a lovely dress and it hasn't been used."
