She tried to warm her cold feet.
A Utah bride-to-be allegedly set fire to a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the day before she was expected to exchange vows at its altar — causing over $100,000 in damages.
Lenita “Tessa” Joy Moreno, 25, was arrested on Monday, over two weeks after she allegedly started a fire inside the LDS church in Kaysville, KUTV reported.
Moreno, the bride-to-be, and family members were about to finish setting up for the couple’s wedding the following day when the fire alarm suddenly went off, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
Two bystanders tried to extinguish the fire using water from the decorations and a fire extinguisher, the documents said.
Investigators at the scene noted that the blaze appeared to have broken out under a chair using “items that were out of the ordinary, including what appeared to be a tampon,” according to the filings.
The cold-footed bride and her future husband allegedly went in to secure the building before the fire started, the outlet reported.
The groom told investigators the soon-to-be newlyweds had gone to Ace Hardware to purchase hooks earlier in the day — with footage later revealing Moreno stole two to three lighters from the store.
The apparently reluctant bride admitted to stealing from the store but would not disclose what items she took, cops said. Her fiancé was not nearby when she sneakily grabbed the lighters, the documents said.
“It is believed that Lenita (Tessa) started a fire within a church building while 5 others were still inside,” the probable cause document stated.
“Lenita did not obtain a marriage license for her own wedding that was to occur the following day after the fire but had lied, stating she had.”
The fire caused more than $108,000 in damages to the Mormon church.
The firebug bride has been booked into Davis County Jail on a slew of charges, including first-degree aggravated arson, misdemeanor retail theft and providing false information to a peace officer, records show.
