A mother who delayed her wedding for two years due to the covid pandemic has revealed she was forced to buy a new gown after shedding her excess weight with surgery ahead of her big day.
Melissa Williams, 27, from Bridgend, South Wales, was 25st 4lbs and a size 30 when she originally bought the wedding dress that she was due to wear in the summer of 2020.
Having since shed 11st 2lbs, the full-time mother who delayed her wedding because of the pandemic purchased a new size 16 dress to tie the knot on 29th April 2022 with husband Chris.
Melissa admits that she is grateful for the pandemic delaying her wedding because it meant she didn’t have to spend her special day hating the way she looked.
Melissa Williams, 27, from Bridgend, South Wales, once tipped scales at 25st 4lbs and wore a size 30. Pictured: After weight loss with husband Chris
Melissa had planned to wear a size 30 wedding dress (pictured), before her ceremony in the summer of 2020 was postponed due to the pandemic
Melissa, who is now a size 16 after shedding 11st 2lbs (pictured right), said she had been a secret eater and a binge eater
‘I’ve been big for as long as I could remember,’ Melissa said. ‘I was a secret eater and a binge eater.
‘And I’d also have Chinese and Indian takeaways about four times a week.
‘The weight crept up on me and all of a sudden I was 25st 4lbs and wearing a size 30-32.
‘I was miserable. I didn’t leave the house and I was cutting myself off from everyone around me.
Melissa (pictured before) said she was dreading getting married in 2020 because she hated her wedding dress
Melissa admits she hated how she looked before (pictured left) undergoing weight loss surgery, paid for by her parents
‘I was supposed to get married in 2020 but, of course, it was postponed because of coronavirus.
‘I was dreading it. I hated the dress I had bought, but I just got it for the sake of it because I knew that no dress would look nice on me.
‘I hated how I looked, so I was actually glad it got postponed because I ended up feeling amazing!’
In a desperate bid to get her life back, Melissa had weight loss surgery in August last year.
Her parents, Lynne, 67, and Tony James, 58, were so worried about the dark place she was in that they offered to pay £11,250 for her gastric bypass.
Melissa said: ‘I’d completely lost myself.
‘My parents were so worried about me and just wanted to get me better. I was humiliated by the way I looked.
‘I’d taken my son, Charlie, six, to Thomas Land at Drayton Manor and I’d gotten on a ride with him.
Melissa’s diet before…
BREAKFAST: Pack of biscuits, sugary tea, three slices of toast and butter.
LUNCH: Large Big Mac meal with a side and Coke
DINNER: Chinese takeaway
SNACKS: Chocolate, biscuits, crisps
… Melissa’s diet now
BREAKFAST: Protein yoghurt and protein granola
LUNCH: Protein shake
DINNER: Poached eggs
SNACKS: Ham, rice cakes, fruit, nuts
‘The bar wouldn’t go down and I was asked to get off of the ride.
‘I’ve never felt more embarrassed than I did at that moment.
‘I also felt so bad for Charlie.
‘I couldn’t even go on walks with him or run about with him in the fields because of my size.
‘I could hardly walk to the end of the street.
Melissa, pictured in her first wedding dress, said she ‘hated’ the size 20 gown and just bought it ‘for the sake of it’
Melissa (pictured after weight loss) said she has previously struggled to walk to the end of her street and was on blood pressure medication
‘I was on blood pressure medication and my back was so sore. My health was deteriorating and I knew something needed to change.’
After years of binge eating and takeaways, Melissa had a gastric bypass which meant she would be losing weight in time for her new wedding day.
She has dropped an impressive 11st 2lbs since the surgery which meant she needed to buy a new wedding dress.
Melissa said: ‘I am so happy that our wedding was pushed back because I felt amazing on the day.
‘I was dreading my wedding previously because of the fact I would have to get ready and put a dress on, even though I felt horrendous.
Melissa said she was ‘so happy’ with her new size 16 dress and had the best day not worrying about her weight. Pictured: Chris, son Charlie and Melissa on wedding day
‘It was just the normal wedding nerves, it was because I was so unhappy with how I looked.
‘My new dress was a size 16 and I was so happy when I looked at myself in the mirror with it on.
‘I felt incredible and I had the best day not worrying about my weight.
‘We have also just returned from our honeymoon in Gran Canaria where I even wore a bikini for the first time in my entire life.
‘I would have usually been a ball of sweat and hated the heat.
Melissa with her husband Chris said she felt ‘amazing’ on her wedding day and was so happy she’d had to buy a new dress
‘I didn’t have to cover up and I could wear whatever I wanted. I don’t have to wear clothes I hated because they were the only thing that fit me. I felt lovely.
‘When the weight started coming off, it was so surreal to notice all of the changes happening to my body.
‘I feel better than I have ever felt and I am so much healthier.
‘I can walk for miles, I go to the gym and I am so much more confident. I love going out and getting dressed up with my friends now.
‘It’s the best decision I have ever made, and I had the best wedding day that I could ever have dreamed of.’
@bypassing-my-problems
