A woman whose fiancee called off their wedding, just days before it was due to take place, destroyed her once-pristine dress by covering it in paint, glitter and feathers in celebration of her 'new beginning'.

Despite her heartache following the shock split from her fiancee, Shelby Swink, from Memphis, Tennessee, was determined that she wouldn't 'that girl who everyone had to tiptoe round'.

'[Six days before the ceremony], my ex-fiancé kind of sat me down and told me he was contemplating calling off the wedding,' the 23-year-old told Fox News.

Fighting spirit: Shelby Swink, 23, refused to let heartbreak get the best of her and was determined to celebrate her new beginning in life

Pity party: The college graduate asked her bridesmaids to help her trash her dress using an array of brightly-colored feathers and paint

Happy family: Shelby was worried that her parents, who paid for her dress, would be against the idea of trashing it, but to her delight, they were thrilled

New beginnings: The jilted bride didn't want to be the girl that 'everybody was tiptoeing around'

'The next day came and he sat me down and was like, "You know, I'm just not in love with you and I don't want to marry you, I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you."

'[But] I didn't want to be that girl that everybody was tiptoeing around.'

He sat me down and told me he wasn't in love with me and didn't want to marry me.

So when her wedding photographer suggested that they organize a 'trash the dress' shoot - an increasingly popular ritual which sees jilted brides destroy their unused gowns by whatever means available - Shelby decided to embrace the idea head-on.

'First I thought it was crazy because it is an expensive dress and I didn't really want to ruin it,' Shelby said of the shoot - which was booked for November 1, which would have been her wedding day.

'[But] I didn't want to just spend my would-be wedding day sitting at home alone eating ice cream and watching Netflix.

'I would rather be doing something fun with friends and family which is what we did.'

'When I got the phone call that the wedding was call off I was stunned of course,' photographer Elizabeth Hoard told Daily Mail Online.

'While it seemed like everything was 'over' I just knew that this couldn't be the end of my journey with Shelby. The Shelby I had gotten to know was a strong, unique woman with lots of spunk.

'I had wanted to offer the idea right then and there for her because I felt like it might be something good for her but thought it best to give her some time to think.

Fun and games: The 'trash the dress' shoot took place on what would have been Shelby's wedding day

Like father, like daughter: Mr Swink brought along cigars and Champagne, so that the group could toast their unique celebration

The family that paints together... Both of Shelby's parents embraced the idea of the shoot with great enthusiasm

Paint party: Everyone couldn't wait to get stuck into the task of destroying Shelby's dress

'Two days before what was supposed to be her wedding day, I was messaging with Shelby and asked her if she had thought about doing a trash the dress session.'

And while Shelby didn't take to the idea straight away, Elizabeth was thrilled when she finally received her ultimate response.

'I could see her typing, and erasing, typing, and erasing and I was worried I had offended her or brought it up too soon,' the photographer added. 'But she replied and said something along the lines of: "Heck yes!"

'She had told me a couple others had mentioned it to her as well and at first she thought it was crazy but decided that it was the best thing for her to do.'

Eager to ensure that the day didn't turn into a 'pity party', Shelby invited her bridesmaids and her parents to join her for the shoot, and even offered them the chance to help her destroy her dress.

'My mom is the one who paid for the dress, so I was nervous as to how she would react when I told her what I wanted to do with it,' Shelby told Buzzfeed.

Smile for the camera: Shelby's wedding photographer Elizabeth Hoard was the mastermind behind the shoot

Artistic endeavor: Shelby donated her once-pristine wedding dress to a local bridal shop in Memphis

'I'm free': The 23-year-old says that she feels no resentment towards her former fiancee

A worthy cause: The Barefoot Bride is donating a portion of the proceeds from each dress bought while it is on display to a local nonprofit organization

'But both of [my parents] were 100% supportive and wanted to be there for me.'

Indeed, far from being a sad occasion, Shelby's family and friends helped her to turn the shoot into a happy and celebratory event as they covered her and her dress in an array of glitter, paint and feathers; her dad even provided Champagne and cigars.

The moment the paint hit my dress, I was free.

'I can’t even describe how liberating and cathartic the experience was for me,' Shelby explained to Buzzfeed.

'The moment the first bit of paint hit my dress I was free.'

Photographer Elizabeth added: 'Shelby really is as amazing as it seems.

'While she trashed her dress she never once trashed talked her ex to me or anyone around me. It really was a celebration of a new life and a new direction.'

Shelby's multicolored dress is now on display at a local Memphis bridal store, The Barefoot Bride, which is donating a portion of the proceeds from each dress bought while it is on display to a nonprofit organization called Be Free Revolution.