A mum has celebrated her divorce getting her pals to help her trash her designer wedding dress in a huge paint fight
Anna O’Neill, 41, from Canterbury, Kent, gave six pals water pistols filled with paint and coloured flares so they could completely ruin her £1,200 pink Alexander McQueen dress – the same designer Kate Middleton wore on her wedding day.
The former model decided on the madcap scheme to celebrate separating from her second husband, after they rushed into things.
She married her second husband in an intimate ceremony on a beach in Antigua, following a whirlwind romance but just after having a baby, the marriage broke down and left her reeling.
Anna O’Neill, 41, from Kent, gave six pals water pistols filled with paint and coloured flares so they could completely ruin her pink Alexander McQueen dress
The former model decided on the paint fight (pictured after) to celebrate separating from her second husband, after they rushed into things
Anna, whose first husband died, took the outlandish step of ruining the special garment to send a positive message to other women going through hard times.
‘We met locally and it was quite rushed,’ she explained. ‘We met, moved in together, then got married in July 2017.’
Anna bought a pink, Alexander McQueen wedding dress for £1,200 while on a trip to London with her son.
The stay-at-home mum who has one grandchild, said: ‘I know it’s not traditional, but I thought it’s not going to be a traditional wedding and I loved the dress, so we bought it.
‘We didn’t tell anyone we were getting married – it was just us and my 11-year-old son.
Anna told how she married her second husband in an intimate ceremony on a beach in Antigua, following a whirlwind romance but just after having a baby, the marriage broke down. Pictured, with her friends during the paint party
Anna bought the pink, Alexander McQueen wedding dress for ££1,200 while on a trip to London with her son. Pictured, after the paint fight
The stay-at-home mum told how the main reason for the paint party was to ‘inspire others to be positive and to celebrate everything.’ Pictured, with one of the paint pots
‘We came back, had a baby, and then divorced just before Christmas. It wasn’t expected, but these things happen.’
Anna’s first husband, with whom she had three children, sadly died three years ago.
‘It was a sad 18 months for me.’ she explained. ‘All my friends kind of rallied around, looking after me.’
This month, keen to thank those that helped her through a difficult time, Anna decided to host a paint fight.
‘I didn’t have a hen party or any sort of celebration for the wedding, so it was that too,’ she explained. ‘I just wanted to thank everyone who has been there for me.
‘But the main reason for doing this was to inspire others to be positive and to celebrate everything.
‘I wanted to do it for other parents going through divorce, which can be tough, and who are holding the fort together.
‘The most important message is that things get better, and we can turn it around.’
Donning her designer wedding dress, Anna stood in her back garden as a group of her closest pals pelted her with paint.
Speaking of the paint fight (pictured), Anna said: ‘I filled up 12 Nerf guns with paint, and we had silver buckets full of different colours, and sponges and paint bombs’
Anna (pictured) told how following the paint fight, she and her pals had loads of food and drank Chapel Down
‘I filled up 12 Nerf guns with paint, and we had silver buckets full of different colours, and sponges and paint bombs.
‘We counted down, and then just had a great big paint attack. It was brilliant. Then we had loads of food and drank Chapel Down.’
Anna now plans to clean the dress, and will donate it to a fundraiser for 13-year-old Lily Wythe, whose family and friends have raised hundreds of pounds so she can travel to America for a potentially life-saving brain tumour treatment.
She has already donated the £10,000 Versace dress she wore to her first wedding to Lily’s family, to help raise money.
Since posting photos of her celebration online, Anna said she has had an overwhelming response from other divorcees.
She added: ‘So many have got in touch saying ‘thank you, seeing this really lifted my spirits’. It’s been lovely.’
Anna (pictured with her friend), will donated the dress to a fundraiser for 13-year-old Lily Wythe, whose family and friends have raised hundreds of pounds so she can travel to America for a potentially life-saving brain tumour treatment
Donning her designer wedding dress, Anna stood in her back garden as a group of her closest pals pelted her with paint (pictured)