This self-sufficient bride’s taken DIY to the next level.
It’s perfectly natural for every blushing bride to have cold feet before walking down the aisle and saying “I Do” to her groom.
But this nonconformist newlywed was nearly nerve-stricken as she headed towards the altar, barefoot — to marry herself.
“I love myself, and I would LOVE to be the person married to me,” spouseless sweetheart Andria Johnson, Hanover, Maryland, told MediaDrumWorld.
The self-sufficient siren unceremoniously took the solo plunge into holy matrimony during a private ceremony in Tulum, Mexico in celebration of her 39th birthday on May 1.
Johnson’s big day, which reportedly cost her approximately $4,900, came just a few months after she proposed to herself on Valentine’s Day.
After popping the question, she said “yes” to a radiant ring in the shape of a lotus bloom. The avant-garde accessory came with a price tag of just under $40.
“Up until a few days before, I was completely confident in my decision,” Johnson said of her nontraditional nuptials — for which she wowed in a curve-hugging white gown that featured a plunging neckline and a silky train.
“Although, the day before, I actually got nervous. I have no idea why,” she continued. “I started asking myself if I was really going to go through with it. Am I crazy?”
And while Johnson’s friends and family were supportive of her husband-free hitching, naysayers at work felt “crazy” was a fitting epithet.
“There were a lot of comments made to me and behind my back about me being pathetic, crazy, lonely, starved for attention, and a whole slew of other things,” she said. “Some employees anonymously reported me to the HR department and initiated an investigation at work around my mental stability. It was really a tough time.”
The self-wedded wife, too, endured cruel criticisms from social media slanderers when she revealed her eccentric engagement on TikTok in March.
Following the virtual announcement, Johnson — who’s dedicated her social media presence to her Bipolar disorder 1 journey — was pummeled with rude remarks from internet trolls such as, “Have you switched your medication,” “I guess we can never date because I don’t date married women,” and “Wow, you are always doing something that no one else would do.”
But Johnson is far from the only single lady to put a ring on it sans a man.
In fact, in July 2022, “Only Murders in the Building” belle Selena Gomez wed herself in a Versace gown at a Malibu residence on her 30th birthday. And R&B songstress Mya, 44, became her own bride back in 2013.
The act of marrying oneself is known as sologamy. It’s a trend that’s recently picked up viral steam amongst self-loving singletons online — where its eponymous TikTok hashtag has amassed over 1.2 million views.
In January 2021, Brazilian lingerie model Cris Galêra took her own hand in marriage outside of a Catholic church in São Paulo. And in May 2023, senior citizen bride Dorothy “Dottie” Fideli, 77, a great-grandmother from Ohio, followed suit.
And against the advisement of haters, Johnson resolved to join in on the fancy-free fun — she felt she owed it to herself.
“I wanted to celebrate my new relationship with myself by doing what I should have done years ago,” said Johnson, who previously exchanged vows with her ex-husband in 2015 at age 31. At the time of their union, Johnson’s former hubby was 45 years old.
And ultimately, the pair’s 14-year age gap, as well as their socioeconomic imbalances, caused a wedge. The star-crossed darlings divorced in 2018.
The dissolution of her marriage sent Johnson spiraling. She spent years in therapy, working to overcome the pangs of her failed union. The professional help inspired Johnson to look inward for the love she long desired.
“In my first marriage, I made the mistake of dedicating myself to loving someone else unconditionally without giving myself that same love first,” she said.
After making the self-focused commitment, Johnson chose to get hitched without inviting guests to her destination wedding.
“Because I spent the majority of my life trying to satisfy other people, I decided to do this for myself,” she said. “I wanted the ceremony to reflect me and not conform to society’s standard of a wedding, but I still wanted to be a bride.”
Her outré tastes notwithstanding, Johnson opted to incorporate a few familiar features into her special shindig.
“I used elements of a typical Christian wedding (dress, hair, makeup, ring) and some of my own, like baptism, spiritual vows and an acknowledgment of my love for myself alone in nature,” she gushed of her outdoor soiree, which was performed by a Mexican Shaman.
“This ceremony was deeply personal to me, so I wanted to say my vows out loud to myself, but I didn’t need the ‘official’ pomp and circumstance of the traditional wedding,” Johnson explained.
To symbolize her rebirth into a self-appreciating woman, she took a dip in a cenote — a deep freshwater spring — purifying herself from the toxicity of her former life.
“When I emerged from the water (almost like a baptism), I put on my wedding dress, walked to the cenote, said my vows and put the ring on my own finger,” said Johnson. “It was an amazing experience! The ceremony lasted the entire day.”
She commemorated her controversial wedlock with a quaint reception for one.
“The cake and champagne were the added bonus at the end of the evening, and I didn’t have to share with anyone else,” said the unabashed bride. “I did everything for me, and it was empowering to know that I didn’t need another human being to feel this amazing.”
And although vitriol from her colleagues persisted after she said “I Do,” causing Johnson to quit her job, the lone honeymooner doesn’t regret making herself a Mrs.
“I do not care what other people think of me. Because I know people are going to think what they want to think about you, so you might as well do what you want,” insisted Johnson.
“Being married to myself has taught me many things. I’ve learned that I cannot bring anything to a relationship if I cannot love myself,” she said.
“I’ve also learned that self-love isn’t just bubble baths and massages and now,” Johnson added. “I put my relationship with myself above everything and work on it constantly.”
