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Vanessa was left at the alter at her wedding Rarotonga.

The wedding planner who consoled a humiliated Kiwi bride after her husband-to-be abandoned her the night before their wedding in Rarotonga said everything went south after the stag party. 

The Crown Beach Resort wedding planner, Victor Edwards, said the couple checked in a few days prior and everything seemed normal. 

"It all went south the night of the hens and stags dos, two days before the wedding," said Edwards.

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Vanessa, jilted bride left at altar in Rarotonga.

He said bride-to-be Vanessa told him the morning after the party that her fiance had left.

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"As a wedding planner Vanessa was the type of bride you dream of having. She's the sweetest person. It pained us to see her in such pain and sorrow. We all did our best to console her. 

"I honest to God can't imagine the pain she went through. She's such a lovely person it broke our hearts to see her in pain."

The lavish $40,000 wedding at the five star Crown Beach Resort was meant to take place on October 22, 2016. 

The five star resort where the wedding was meant to take place.

The jilted bride, Vanessa, said her fiance, a Christchurch man, left the resort the day before the wedding without telling anyone and didn't return. 

Despite her own grief she put on a brave face and went ahead with the wedding party.

"I wanted to at least try to give my friends and family a good time since they'd come all that way," Vanessa said.

"At the dinner it felt there had been a tragedy, like an earthquake or something. Some people were angry others were crying, it was chaos.

"There was absolutely no hints or signs that it could happen, it was a complete shock."



She's now selling her wedding dress on Trade Me.

The 40-year-old held out hope he would return until the morning of the wedding when resort staff reported they'd seen him shopping at the local market, followed by a tour of the island, on what was supposed to be their wedding day.

​"It was horrific. I went into shock. I just remember wailing and feeling violently ill."

The following three days that were meant to be spent celebrating and relaxing with friends and family were instead spent grieving. '"I'd just get up and cry then go back to bed."

Many of the wedding's 49 guests had travelled from New Zealand and America for the day. "We had friends from America come they'd scraped money together, some even took out loans."

When Vanessa returned to New Zealand she arranged to meet with her former fiance for counselling, though she felt she still didn't understand why he called off the wedding. 

"It is what could have been that I mourn. I don't think there is anyone else out there for me."

Vanessa says she still isn't sure why he called off the wedding.

Vanessa is now focused on getting her life back on track. She's selling her pink diamond engagement ring, valued at more than $38,000 as well as her $6000 wedding dress that she never wore to help establish a new home for herself. 

"I don't want to sell the ring but I have to to afford furniture and a new place."

Vanessa's engagement ring and Jane Yeh wedding dress  are listed on Trade Me.

The groom has been contacted for comment. 

 - Stuff