A Tunisian woman has been receiving messages of support from around the world after being dumped at the altar because her would-be mother-in-law didn’t like how she looked.

Last week, Lamia al-Labawi, a young woman from Tunisia, took to Facebook to share the sad story of how what was supposed to be the best day of her life turned into a nightmare. She and her partner of four years were supposed to be married; everything had been arranged and they had spent a lot of money to make sure everything went according to plan, but the one thing they hadn’t taken into account was the groom’s mother. Lamia said that she had never met the woman in person before, and instead of a warm welcome into the family, all she received from her on her wedding day was vitriol.

Photo: Jeremy Wong Weddings/Unsplash

The wedding ceremony was already underway, the guests were all present, but Lamia’s future mother-in-law had other plans in mind. In front of everyone, she approached her son and asked him to cancel the wedding, claiming that the bride was “too short and ugly” and that she wasn’t worth marrying. She had only seen photos of Lamia before and was apparently very disappointed after seeing her in person.

As if the woman’s outburst on what was to be a momentous occasion wasn’t shocking enough, guests were taken aback by the groom’s reaction. He took his mother’s side, and despite the pleas of multiple people attending the wedding, abandoned Lamia and left with his mother.

The story quickly spread on social media, and Lamia al-Labawi started receiving messages of support from people who told her to keep her head up and realize that the groom wasn’t worth marrying anyway.

“With love and brotherhood, I tell you, raise your head and face the world with all your might,” Tunisian theater actor, Hedi Al-Mejri, wrote to Lamia. “You did not lose a man. You lost an object that could have been a curse in your life. You gained irreplaceable comfort and freedom. Do not be broken and do not say that you are an orphan.”

“The world is lessons, and one must differentiate between the man and the male. My Lord will compensate her with good, and God willing, the next is good. Lamia is a lesson from the lessons of life, and the future is more beautiful, God willing,” Facebook user Sana Cherif wrote.

Overwhelmed by the outpour of support, Lamia al-Labawi recently put out a video thanking everyone for the kind words of encouragement.

Say what you will about the groom, but at least he didn’t stage his own kidnapping to get out of his wedding.