When we picture a bride on their wedding day - we envision them looking completely and utterly perfect.
From their make-up being pristine, not a single hair out of place and the perfect dress - but little did we know, it can be stressful for an upcoming bride-to-be.
Sharing the stigma around how a bride should be "100 pounds" on their special day - Laura Fragoso shared how she fell victim after falling into the trap of "losing weight" before tying the knot.
However, once she saw her wedding photos, she explained how "losing weight" was the biggest regret that she had from her big day.
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"My biggest wedding regret," Laura captioned the post.
She said: "I bought a wedding dress that was two sizes too small and I forced myself to fit into it.
"I grew up hearing my entire life by several women in my family - 'I was 100 pounds when I got married.'
"I can't tell you how many times I've heard that phrase!"
Laura revealed that ahead of the big day, she would "fluctuate between a size eight and a size ten".
And after taking a massive leap, she purchased a dress that was smaller than her usual size - and left her facing the consequences.
"I bought a size six!" She exclaimed.
"I didn't starve myself, I didn't do a crash diet but I was so restrictive about what I ate - I also worked out incessantly.
"I stressed myself out so much that I ended up getting heart palpitations and to this day I have an extra heartbeat - which I didn't have before planning my wedding."
She continued: "I ended up losing [the weight] but by the time I lost it, it was too late to make alterations.
"Now when I look back at my wedding photos I don't even recognise myself.
"My features are too angular - my eyes are too big for my face.
"It's probably just me being my - but my friends and family tell me that I look fine - but I don't look like myself.
"Don't get me wrong, I had a beautiful wedding.
"At the end of the day, I ended up marrying my best friend but I wish when I looked back at photos that I saw more of myself."
The bride then went on to vow how she ended up falling into old habits but now loves her body more than ever.
"All this to say - you don't need to lose weight for your wedding - that is your goal and that's going to benefit you past your wedding day - then go for it," she added.
"But if you are doing it because you too have heard this narrative that a bride needs to be 100 pounds on her wedding day, then you need to step off the scale.
"And you need to remember that your value has nothing to do with the number on a scale or a measurement."
Several brides took to the comment section to praise Laura for her life-changing revelation - as several TikTokers admitted that they had fallen victim to this ordeal.
One user wrote: "Thank you for sharing this!!! I've never heard the 100lbs thing but definitely heard people get smaller dresses."
Laura replied: "It’s awful women feel so much pressure to take up less space!"
"Thanks for sharing this," another user penned. "My mum has consistently been saying how I need to lose weight for my wedding. It’s really ruined some moments for me."
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