Bride left at the altar beats heartbreak with epic 'trash the dress' photo shoot

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. -- When a bride was left at the altar, she decided to skip the pity party and destroy her wedding gown with friends and family in a "liberating" and "cathartic" photo shoot.

Shelby Swink, 23, was supposed to get married on Nov. 1 to her boyfriend of three years, but her groom got cold feet five days before the wedding, telling Shelby he didn't love her. Shelby was left devastated, having to act quickly to cancel everything, and stuck with a wedding dress she couldn't return.

While friends and family gathered to support Shelby, no one knew what to do the day the wedding was supposed to happen. Shelby said that a few people brought up the idea of trashing the wedding dress, but she did not want to upset her mother who had paid for the dress and alterations.

"But after thinking about it, I knew that trashing the dress was the perfect thing for me," wrote Shelby in an email to ABC. "I was not going to let my ex-fiance's mistake of letting me go take away my happiness."

Shelby says that her parents and bridesmaids supported her completely, and even joined in to trash their own wedding outfits. In the photos, Shelby, her parents and bridesmaids all celebrated the day by covering Shelby and themselves in paint and feathers while photographer Elizabeth Hoard captured every moment.

"I can't even describe how liberating and cathartic the 'trash the dress' experience was for me," wrote Shelby. "The moment the paint hit my dress I was free. I let go of all the hurt and disappointment and became myself again."

"We all face adversity in our lives, but what really defines us is how we decide to overcome that adversity," explained Shelby. "I decided that I will not let this tragedy and heartbreak consume me and bring me down in life. I have come out of this experience a stronger and better person, and I am excited for the future."

Shelby told ABC she did not expect her story to reach so many people and has been surprised by the outpouring of support.

"Some have even told me that I've inspired them or helped them through a similar situation, which I think is absolutely amazing," she wrote. "I did this photo shoot for myself, not thinking that this many people would see, hear, and read about it and be touched."

Shelby's trashed dress will be on display at The Barefoot Bride, a bridal boutique in Memphis, through the beginning of next year. A portion of the proceeds from the shop's sales will benefit Be Free Revolution, a non-profit that helps to empower men and women in Africa with education, training and counseling.