The Ups and Downs of Love: Bridal Weight Changes

For most couples, the wedding is the highlight of their relationship and it is THE big event in many brides' lives. All their friends and relatives are invited and the wedding album will be viewed for years thereafter. It is no wonder that brides aspire to look especially beautiful on this day and they often believe (or are told) that losing weight is absolutely mandatory. But do brides actually succeed in this endeavor? And how lasting are wedding-related weight changes?

From the study of an Australian research team [1], 343 brides-to-be were asked about their weight and related information on average 11 months before their wedding. The brides were questioned again one month pre-wedding (available for 130 women) and six months post-wedding (available for 112 women). Around half of these women reported that they wanted to lose almost 10 kilos before their big day. The authors showed that 47% of the brides did actually lose weight up until one month prior to the wedding - but on average only 3 kg! The remaining, either gained weight of an average of 3 kilos (32%) or did not show any weight changes at all (21%).

For true love, your bridal weight should not matter. via Wikimedia Commons. 

Interestingly, those women who lost a lot of weight prior to the wedding had regained all of it (and more) 6 months after the wedding. The other two groups also gained weight, although significantly less compared to the women with pre-wedding weight loss. On average, women gained over 2 kg in the 6 months after their wedding day, which is probably not at all surprising. Wedding-related stress is reduced and the daily routines step in again, and with them the usual eating habits. Also, to some women the thought might occur that they have now “secured” a man, which might consequently diminish their motivation to work on their bodies.

All in all, one can say that pre-wedding weight loss is very short-lived. Therefore, dear brides and grooms: enjoy your wedding. For true love, a couple of kilos more or less should not matter anyway!

[1] Prichard et al. Body Image 2014

By Ann-Christin Ostwaldt, PhD Alumna Medical Neurosciences (AG Academic Neuroradiology)