An Italian fitness instructor who became fed up of searching for Mr Right for 20 years has found the answer staring her in the face all along - and has married herself.

Laura Mesi invited 70 of her nearest and dearest to her wedding, complete with a white dress, bridesmaids, and a diamond ring.

The 40-year-old paid £8,700 for the ceremony, which is not legally recognised, and even went to Egypt on her honeymoon - by herself.

Photographs from the big day in Lissone, Lombardy, show Ms Mesi walking down the aisle on her own and cutting a wedding cake topped with a solitary female figurine.

An Italian fitness instructor who became fed up of searching for Mr Right for 20 years has found the answer staring her in the face all along - and has married herself

Laura Mesi invited 70 of her nearest and dearest to her wedding after failing to find a soulmate

Photographs from the big day in Lissone, Lombardy, show Ms Mesi walking down the aisle on her own and cutting a wedding cake topped with a solitary female figurine

The 40-year-old paid £8,700 for the ceremony, which is not legally recognised, and even went to Egypt on her honeymoon - by herself

An emotional Ms Mesi sheds a happy tear with friends and family after marrying herself

She decided to take part in the ceremony after a 12-year relationship ended in 2015, promising to marry herself should she not met someone before turning 40.

'I told friends and family that if I had not found my soul-mate by my 40th birthday I would marry myself,' she told La Repubblica newspaper.

'If one day I find a man with whom I can plan a future I'll be happy, but my happiness does not depend on him.

'This is my fairytale wedding - only without a Prince Charming.'

Last year, a woman from Brighton married herself in a similar ceremony, admitting the idea was a 'little bonkers'.

Self-marriage - often dubbed 'sologamy' - is a growing trends around the world, with proponents claiming the ceremony celebrates self-love and acceptance.

The bride (pictured with her cake) described her big day as her 'fairytale wedding', minus Prince Charming

Self-marriage - often dubbed 'sologamy' - is a growing trends around the world, with proponents claiming the ceremony celebrates self-love and acceptance