International Desk

London-based Brazilian influencer Suellen Carey drew international attention after holding a symbolic wedding ceremony with herself in 2023. About a year later, she announced that she was ending the self-marriage, saying the experience had become emotionally exhausting.

Carey held the ceremony in London on September 21, 2023, wearing a traditional wedding dress and describing the event as an expression of self-love, personal independence and a commitment to her own well-being. The practice is commonly described as “sologamy”, a symbolic ceremony in which a person makes a commitment to themselves.

At the time, Carey said the ceremony reflected a period in which she had learned to value herself more and prioritise her mental health. Images from the event were shared on Instagram and attracted widespread attention.

Nearly a year later, however, Carey said she had decided to bring the experiment to an end.

According to reports by E! News and other international media, Carey found that the expectation of maintaining an ideal relationship with herself created its own pressure. She said the experience sometimes left her feeling lonely and exhausted, particularly because she felt she was constantly trying to meet high expectations of herself.

Carey also said she attended 10 therapy sessions while trying to understand the difficulties she was experiencing during the symbolic marriage. Eventually, she concluded that ending the relationship with herself was the right step.

She did not, however, describe the experience as a failure. Instead, Carey said the period had helped her better understand herself and had become part of a broader process of personal growth and self-discovery.

The episode also renewed discussion around sologamy and what it represents.

Despite the language of marriage and divorce, sologamy has no legal status in the United Kingdom. Family-law specialists have explained that a ceremony in which someone “marries” themselves is not legally binding, meaning there is also no legal divorce process involved. Carey’s “divorce” was therefore symbolic rather than a court-recognised separation.

Carey, who was 36 when the story gained renewed attention in 2024, later said she was open to future romantic relationships and to the possibility of finding a partner.

Her unusual experience has continued to circulate online as an example of how ideas around self-love, independence and relationships are being expressed in new and sometimes unconventional ways.

Sources: Suellen Carey’s public Instagram posts, E! News, Miami Herald and The Independent.