Earlier this year, Janine was like any other bride-to-be -- planning a wedding, looking for the perfect dress and eager to walk down the aisle. Unfortunately, she never got that chance.
Fifty-two days before her nuptials, Janine's fiancé Johnny died unexpectedly. Her custom wedding dress, once a symbol of happiness, became a reminder of what she had lost. But she couldn't bring herself to part with it.
Credit: Matt Adcock / Del Sol Photography
Janine in her dress, holding a picture of her fiancé Johnny.
"I finally decided that I wanted to keep my wedding dress and not sell it because of what it means to me," she told Del Sol Photography, who featured her story on their site. "I wanted to be free and I wanted to do something different."
Janine teamed up with Del Sol photographer Matt Adcock to do an underwater "trash the dress" shoot.
"I did something never thought I would do in my whole life. I took my wedding dress that was built from scratch and I jumped into the river," Janine said. "I did it because I wanted to free myself from losing my fiancé ... this dress was for him. I did this because John would want me to something like this. He was so outgoing and he wanted me to have the best life."
Check out photos from Janine's powerful shoot below:
To hear Janine's story in her own words, watch the video below.
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