As a bride-to-be, I’ve felt so much pressure to lose weight and look a certain way for the wedding. As someone who practices intuitive eating and body acceptance, the pressure is a lot and has overwhelmed me.

DON’T: Add Additional Stress To Being Engaged

This year has been crazy with weddings. I am one of five of my friends getting married in 2022. It has been really special for me to be a bridesmaid to some of my best friends. It has been fun talking about wedding planning together and experiencing bachelorette trips and showers.

The side that has been hard to watch is of my friends' body bashing or restricting their food to look a specific size on their wedding day.

I’ve seen friends eat very little, if anything, because of their “wedding diet.” I’ve seen friends skip meals because they were “too stressed to eat.” I’ve seen friends debate what they wanted to eat because they had to ensure they would still fit into their dresses. I’ve seen friends look very thin. 

It saddens me that our culture glorifies the bride engaging in these harmful behaviors all for what? Looking good in a dress for one night? 

Don’t get me wrong, because I’ve been around my friends and seen their actions or heard their words it has made me second guess my decision on not dieting for my wedding.

It’s hard to go against the status quo. You start to doubt yourself when everyone, I mean almost all of my friends have said something at some point about dieting, food, or their bodies regarding their wedding.

DO: Enjoy The Food That Comes With The Engagement Season

Of course, I am not at all shaming them for engaging in these behaviors. As I said, it’s normal to “shred for the wedding.” I remember attending wedding events and fairs and seeing weight loss or dieting tables.

Diet culture has inserted itself into the wedding industry. Heck, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel pressure to look a certain way on my big day.

I could do the normal wedding diet and live unhappy and hungry for months leading up to the wedding, or I could quiet the noise of diet culture and negative thoughts and work on enjoying every aspect of this engagement season, food and all. 

Let’s think about it. How many bridal events are there that involve food? Almost all of them? Some of my favorite finger foods come from showers so you bet I am satisfying that craving and enjoying bridal shower food.

Bachelorette trips nowadays are typically in different cities, and the best part of exploring a new city is the food.

DON’T: Shame Yourself For Not Dieting

So, instead of being hyper-focused on what you’re eating or not eating, I recommend focusing on foods that make you feel good. I know what foods energize me, satisfy me, fill me up, and nourish me.

I also know what foods hurt my belly and make me feel sluggish. So being aware of those foods and reframing how you view food is one way to help during this wedding season. 

If you feel like all you are seeing on social media is dieting or wedding content that encourages weight loss, remove or unfollow that negativity from your life. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Don’t let seeing thinner brides or brides that are encouraging dieting to get you down. By not dieting, you have more time and energy to be present and in the moment of this super quick period of your life. Seriously, my engagement season has flown by! 

Dieting takes up a lot of mental space. I am down to my last month before the wedding and being stressed is an understatement. I’ve had nightmares about forgetting something!

Adding a diet that dictates what I can and can’t eat would not help my stress levels but would only add to them. 

Lastly, the whole point of your wedding is about your marriage to the love of your life. Not about your body!

Brides come in all shapes and sizes, and the most important thing to remember is that your significant other loves you for you!

He knows what your body looks like and he loves you unconditionally. You can feel good and content on your wedding day without changing your body.

DO: Focus On Wedding Details That Build Body Positivity

As I sit here and wrap up, I can’t help but feel excited about my wedding and wearing my beautiful dress. I can’t wait to feel like a princess.

The best part is that I don’t even know what size my dress is nor do I care. It is being altered to fit me and that is all that matters. I am not altering myself to fit it.

I had those thoughts of “Maybe I should restrict what I eat,” or “Maybe, I should be working out harder in the gym and forcing myself to go when I don’t want to.” Those thoughts are intrusive and hard to quiet down. 

I learned from my Intuitive Eating journey that the thoughts are always there they are just less loud and persuasive than they use to be.

I know how to pull myself out of a hole when I start to think negatively about my body when it comes to my wedding, however, not every bride-to-be has the tools to do that.

They are easily persuaded to  “shred for the wedding” and place pressure on themselves to lose weight for the dress, but what if I told you that you could feel confident on your wedding day without losing a pound?

Wanting To Feel Good On Your Wedding Day?

Elizabeth McIntyre, RD is a registered dietitian helping Kentuckians find balance in their diet, health and lifestyle. She enjoys helping people break out of the unreliable diet cycles through intuitive eating practices.