From Brides (Courtesy of Haley Smith via Instagram/@haley_j_smith)
Sure, you’re marrying someone who is bound to be struck starry-eyed even if you were walking down the aisle in a burlap sack. But still, countless brides spend the months before their “I dos” getting in shape for the big day. Although no one should ever feel pressured to get shredding for the wedding, some brides want to drop the pounds in order feel the most confident they’ve ever felt when they zip up their curve-hugging wedding dress. Others just want to enter the next chapter of their lives in health and obviously not in sickness. But bride Haley Smith not only wanted to change her wedding day bod she wanted to change her life. And that’s just what she did, walking down the aisle 110 pounds lighter than the day her sweetheart popped the question.
In July 2015, Smith’s fiancé proposed when the bride-to-be was at her heaviest at 277 pounds, according to Us Weekly. “I didn’t even recognize myself,” Smith said of the photos taken on that oh-so-special day. “I had no idea I had let myself go so much. I couldn’t believe Matt would want to be with someone like me. I was so ashamed.” But this always-beautiful bride was determined not to feel the same way on her wedding day. In the year leading up to her big day, Smith embarked on not just a wedding workout plan, but a total lifestyle makeover.
“I made slow adjustments over the course of the year, starting with not eating after 8 p.m. and only ordering takeout twice a week,” Smith said, explaining her plan of making small changes that eventually led to BIG results. “I started jogging three times a week at just 30-second intervals for about a half hour, and then I added strength training.” She even started working out with her new hubby, who ended up dropping an impressive 30 pounds! Couple goals, much?
15 months later and over 100 pounds lighter, Smith said her “I dos” on October 8, walking down the aisle in the wedding dress of her wildest dreams a lovely, form-fitting lace bridal gown by Maggie Sottero. “I thought for sure I would get married in a long-sleeve ball gown dress to hide my whole body, but I ended up picking a strapless mermaid dress,” Smith told People magazine. “I felt so beautiful in it! Instead of being self-conscious and hiding or sweating the whole time, I was able to feel confident, relax, enjoy my family and friends.” And at the end of the day, isn’t that what every bride deserves?
