Flicking through a well-known bridal magazine, I came across a feature on why you should consider botox and plastic surgery for your wedding day.
That’s right - it wasn’t just some nice new make-up tricks to give your skin a peachy glow, or even a page of pricey moisturisers promising to help you look 10 years younger. It was ACTUAL plastic surgery. As in, almost totally changing your face for your wedding day.
And that to me, is totally crazy.
I get that everyone wants to look their best when they get married – it’s probably the only time in your life when you’ll have all eyes on you (and all iPhones on you) – and that’s quite intimidating.
I also get that in this selfie and social-media obsessed world, brides feel under more pressure than ever to look their best on their big day – and that pressure is intensified 300% by wedding magazines, wedding blogs (which I adore by the way) with their perfectly edited pics, and literally every wedding on Pinterest where the brides look like supermodels.
But I’m calling bulls**t on constantly being told to totally alter my appearance and the need to look “perfect” on my wedding day.
Head to a bridal fair, and you’ll see rows of stalls peddling plastic surgery, teeth whitening, weirdo weight loss products that DEFINITELY don’t work and hair extensions.
The bridal industry is big business – and I understand these companies want to make cash – but this bride body shaming has got to stop.
Why should I have to spend thousands on altering my appearance just because I’m tying the knot? The man I’m marrying decided that, actually, he wants to put up with me for the rest of my life.
Because he likes me - just the way I am.
He fell in love with me looking like me, even when I’m wearing no make-up, wearing sweatpants, and mainlining a Dominos pizza on the sofa.
You won’t believe the number of times I have been asked what my wedding “weight loss” plan is and if I’m going to slim down for the wedding – by bridal shops, random people I’ve met and even people I know.
And while I have definitely hit the gym more than usual this year, and won’t be eating rubbish the week before my wedding, I have not embarked on some crazy wedding diet regime because a) I don’t want to look like someone else in my wedding pics, and b) Wedding planning is stressful and I NEED that Pinot Grigio and pizza to get me through it all.
I want to feel good on my wedding day, sure, but I still want to look like the same person – otherwise what's the point?
Do you agree with Lauren - is plastic surgery before your wedding a big fat no-no? Let us know via the comments box below now!