Our $11K destination wedding was canceled — thanks to ‘air traffic chaos’

So much for the shellebration.

British couple Shannon Williams, 28, and Stuart Martin, 33, claim they had to scrap their $11,000 dream beach wedding in Cyprus last week after their flight to the Mediterranean island was canceled.

“I’m absolutely gutted. It’s been traumatic. I still can’t believe it. I’m just distraught,” Williams confessed to Kennedy News and Media.

The couple, their two children, and members of the wedding party were set to fly Jet2.com Limited on Aug. 28 — but their flight was delayed several times due to “air traffic chaos” before ultimately being canceled.

That meant they were stranded in the Birmingham Airport in the UK while their wedding guests waited for them at Sirens Beach ahead of the Aug. 31 nuptials.

“The airport was manic,” Williams explained. “There were people complaining they can’t go on holiday, and no one understood it was more than just a holiday for me. It was my wedding that I couldn’t get to.”

Williams and Martin remained optimistic, hoping to catch the next flight, but unfortunately, there were no flights to Cyprus until after their wedding date, according to Kennedy News.

“All we got was a text message saying, ‘Due to air traffic control, the holiday is cancelled. You will receive a full refund,’” Williams lamented.

“I was in absolute bits thinking, ‘What am I going to do? My wedding is Thursday. I’ve already got 30 friends and family out there.’ They said, ‘There’s nothing we can do,’” Williams recalled.

“There’s no flights until Friday. I can’t get married on Saturday and people go home on Sunday, so I’m just going to have to postpone the wedding.”

Williams and Martin pushed the wedding to June 2024, anticipating less glitz and glam than they initially envisioned.

“I don’t think it’ll be as big as it was because it’s getting people back out there who’ve already paid thousands,” Williams moaned.

The couple, who have been together for 13 years, were able to transfer their wedding payment to the new date, but say they still lost a large amount of money.

Williams claims she paid over $300 for hair extensions, nearly $200 for nail services for herself and her daughter, $250 in legal fees, and more expenses for a bus, videographer, saxophonist and a selfie mirror.

“I’ve lost money on the bridesmaids’ dresses and kids outfits, which won’t fit them next year,” Williams shared. “It’s all gone to waste.”

The devastated bride is still grappling with her traumatic experience.

“I’ve got no excitement for it now. I’ve deleted all the wedding pages off my Facebook — I don’t want to see it,” she sighed.

The couple got engaged in October 2021 — and Williams knew from the moment Martin popped the question they were going to get married in Cyprus because “it’s so picturesque.”

In a statement to Kennedy News, a Jet2 rep apologized for the unfortunate situation.

The airline said it “did everything we could” to help the couple, including offering a refund and seats on the next available flight. Neither option would have allowed the family to make it to Cyprus on time.

They decided to accept the refund to use toward a family vacation to cheer up their two children, Carter-Rae Martin, 6 and Rhyia-Mae Martin, 10.

“My kids had to see me in a horrible state when we canceled the wedding,” Williams added. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be coming to Cyprus.”