Toni loved everything about her wedding – other than how she looked in the dress. But she was determined to get a second chance…
Peering into the window of a bridal shop, I decided to pop in and have a look.
A few months before, my partner of five years had proposed.
I was over the moon to be marrying Mark, but one thing was concerning me.
What was I going to do about
a wedding dress?
When I’d met Mark as a teenager, I’d been a size 12.
But after having our first two kids Nicole and Lewis I’d started putting on weight.
I was 23 and a size 18.
Inside the bridal shop, I flipped through the racks of beautiful white dresses.
‘Don’t you want to try something on?’ suggested a sales assistant as I browsed.
‘Oh, I’m just looking,’ I told her.
‘You won’t know if it suits you until you try it on,’ she said.
So, reluctantly, I took one of the dresses and headed for the changing room.
As I pulled the dress over my head it was just as I’d feared – it was far too small.
I fled the shop without looking at anything else.
After that, I ended up searching online for a strapless ruffled gown.
Though I knew my mum would love to have a traditional fitting session with me, I dreaded the idea of being the centre of attention at a bridal shop.
And when the dress arrived, I thought it looked fine.
That’s the best I can hope for, I said to myself.
Our wedding
was held at our
local church with
the reception at a nearby hotel.
It was a beautiful summer’s day, and as I danced to Make You Feel My Love by Adele at our reception, I was over the moon.
The only blot on my happiness was my dress.
The front part kept flipping up so I had to constantly rearrange it, and
I felt as though I looked like a toilet roll holder.
When I saw the photos a few weeks later, I couldn’t help
but groan.
I framed one of the headshots of the two of us, but didn’t want to display any of the full-length pics.
After our wedding, Mark and
I had two more children, Jacob and Jordan.
I was so busy it was easier to grab unhealthy food and snacks.
'You're a fat mummy!'
For breakfast I’d have a sausage sandwich followed by fried chicken and chips for lunch. We would often have a kebab and chips takeaway for dinner and I’d snack on crisps, chocolate, croissants and cakes throughout the day.
Ten years after my wedding,
I weighed 19 stone and was a size 22.
It was beginning to have a serious impact on my mental and physical health.
In my early 20s, I’d discovered that I had slight curvature on my spine and doctors told me my weight was making my back pain much worse.
I could barely keep up with the kids at the local park.
They were football mad, but all I could do when we played was stand in goal.
I also worried about dropping them off at school or birthday parties, concerned they might be embarrassed by me.
One Sunday morning, I was making breakfast for the kids when Jordan, two, said with a giggle, ‘You’re a fat mummy!’
In that moment, the penny dropped.
‘Right,’ I told Mark. ‘I’m going to do something about this now.’
Over the years, I’d made a few efforts to lose weight, including a couple of Slimming World groups.
I’d never made much progress before, but now I told myself things would be different.
Pulling out my phone, I called a friend who also happened to be named Toni.
We knew each other from chatting at the school gates and she’d since become a Slimming World consultant.
‘Come to my group meeting tomorrow?’ she suggested.
‘I’m really nervous,’ I told her. ‘I don’t like the idea of everyone seeing my weight on the scales.’
‘Seriously, don’t worry,’ she replied. ‘We’re all in it together!’
The following day I drove down to our local community centre in Liverpool.
And to my relief, Toni had been totally right.
When I got chatting to the other women, I immediately felt accepted and supported.
Back at home, I put everything I’d learnt into practice. Slimming World was less about restricting foods than substituting them.
Instead of butter, I’d use low-calorie cooking spray and instead of white bread, I’d opt for wholemeal.
Whatever I made, I’d be sure to add in lots of extra vegetables, which reduced my cravings for unhealthy snacks.
'I wish I'd felt this good at my wedding!'
I’d have poached egg, lean bacon, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms for breakfast, jacket potato with tuna for lunch and homemade chicken tikka masala with vegetables
and boiled rice for dinner.
I would snack on fruit with fat-free Greek natural yogurt and a drizzle of honey.
The kids helped out by avoiding chocolate and crisps in the house!
Within 10 months, I had already lost five and a half stone.
As the weight came off,
I had more energy, and I became a force to be reckoned with when I played footie with the kids!
It wasn’t long before people began to notice the weight loss.
I looked so different, Mark used to joke he felt as though he was cheating on me.
A year after I joined Slimming World, I was down to a size 12 – I’d lost 6st 7lb overall.
My group even put me forward for Slimming World’s Woman of the Year competition.
For the semi-finals
I had to tell the judges about my weight loss journey.
During my speech, I couldn’t help mentioning my wedding pics.
‘When I look back at the photos, I wish I’d felt this good at my wedding,’ I said. ‘I’m feeling so much more confident and I’m hoping to renew my vows one day.’
Though I didn’t win I was still so proud of what I had achieved.
Just a few months later,
I had a call through from Slimming World’s head office who asked if I would be interested in doing a bridal photo shoot.
I couldn’t believe my luck!
Mum and I were put up in a hotel for the night and the following morning, stylists took care of my hair and make-up, before we headed over to Stately Brides bridal shop.
This time, I was actually excited to try everything on!
I selected a few designs that fitted a little closer to my new svelte figure.
As I walked out of the changing room, I couldn’t help but enjoy the expression on everyone’s faces.
My mum was absolutely speechless at
first, and I could
see her eyes fill
with tears.
‘You look so beautiful, Toni,’
she said.
For the very first time, it really hit me just how far I’d come.
‘I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would get down to the size I am now,’ I said.
Although Mark and I haven’t set a date for renewing our vows yet, we are definitely planning to do it one day.
I may be half the bride I was on my wedding day, but I’m now twice as confident.
Toni Calland, 35