A stunning bride has been photographed in her wedding dress standing over her fiancé's grave on the day they were supposed to be married.
Jessica Padgett wanted to do something special on September 29 in honour of the date she was set to wed Kendall Murphy.
The 27-year-old volunteer fire-fighter died in November 2017 while helping a crash victim on a rural road in Southwest Indiana, when he was struck by his colleague Colby Blake, another firefighter, who was under the influence of alcohol and also responding to the incident.
"It was important to me to do the photo shoot on our wedding day because I wanted some healing for me as well as for his family and friends," Ms Padgett told Newshub.
"I wanted to do something special because that was our day, Kendall and I.
"That was the day we were going to begin our lives together. So I wanted to be with him in spirit in my wedding dress as though we were still going to be married.
"I felt Kendall that day. I knew he was with me not only in my heart but there beside me in the photos. He will forever be the love of my life," she said.
Ms Padgett explained that when she found out he had passed away, she felt like someone was playing "the dirtiest trick" on her.
The couple began dating on July 26, 2013 and had been together four-and a-half-years before he tragically died.
"I felt like it was a complete nightmare, like someone was stabbing me in the heart multiple times.
"It took me months and months to finally be half myself again."
Ms Padgett's family, Murphy's family and her friends have been supporting her as she works to move forward, taking it day by day.
The photos were taken by Loving Life Photography and shared on Facebook. The post has been shared more than 21,000 times.
"My heart is broken and that will never be fixed," she said.
"I have heard it over and over God won't give you anything that you can't handle. I want to be strong for me as for others but I won't lie, there are times I just want to ball up and cry.
"I still go to the grave every day to talk to him. He was my best friend, my everything, and in a blink of an eye he was gone - so it's taking me awhile."
Ms Pagett encourages others to embrace their loved ones each day.
"Enjoy your life today because yesterday has gone and tomorrow may never come."
Newshub.
