To celebrate 36 years “without marrying anyone,” a single woman in West Sussex, England, elected to throw a wedding-themed birthday party where she cheekily “married” herself.
“A single mom rang in her 36th birthday in an unusual fashion – by wearing a wedding dress and tiara and celebrating making it ‘all this way without marrying anyone,'” reports Fox News.
In a Facebook invite to her friends and family, Michelle Plum announced that the best gift she could give to herself is marriage:
I’m 36 years old on 16th August this year and have made it all this way without marrying anyone! Well done me!
So seeing as I have no intentions to so for real (sorry Ben!), I want to have a wedding. That’s the best bit about marriage, right?
And everyone has to come to your wedding so that means I will go full Bridezilla on you if you make some stupid excuse like babies or other weddings or being on holiday. Plus, I really wanna see you all. So put in the calendar.
Please come in your best sh*t bridesmaids dresses, your own wedding dress, cheesy suit, or as Elvis, whatever.
Speaking with Metro, Plum said the idea for a wedding-themed birthday was inspired by another woman who did the same a few years ago.
“I thought that was brilliant and so funny,” she said. “I became a single mom in my early twenties. I’ve done all the hard parenting stuff and now I’m free. My life’s brilliant. I have no intention of settling down.”
Plum said she had no desire to actually get married but wanted to experience a wedding, complete with the gown and reception.
“When I go a wedding now, I just love the dress and the fact they get a big party,” she told the outlet. “That’s the bit about marriage I like – not the having to live with somebody for the rest of my life bit.”
“I bought my dress from the St Catherine’s Hospice shop in Horsham,” she continued. “They’ve devoted the whole upstairs to bridal dresses. I tore one of the bags open and gasped. That was it – it was the one. It’s very pale pink, has all these sequins on and my friend said I look like Ariel from The Little Mermaid when she gets married at the end.”
As a single mother, Plum said she wanted to send a message to her daughter about the importance of independence on top of just having a good time.
“The message behind this is that I’m independent and strong. I’ve tried to teach my daughter that she doesn’t need a partner if she doesn’t want one,” she said. “With hard work, enjoying life and having good friends and family, you don’t need to be dependent on someone else.”
Should Plum find the perfect man in the future, she certainly would like to have a real wedding, during which she will reuse her birthday dress.
“I’ll be wearing [the dress] again at every possible opportunity – I might get it out for Halloween and you never know, if I ever do get married, I might wear it for that,” she said.