Bride loses six stone in time for her wedding day

A bride has revealed how she managed to drop four dress sizes in time for her big day and walked down the aisle six stone lighter.

When Cath Davies, 54 from Liverpool, arrived her wedding ceremony, guests were amazed by her appearance.

Not only did she look incredible in her wedding dress, but many of them hadn't seen her since before the pandemic. Since then, Davies had lost over a third of her body weight.

Weighing 17 stone at her heaviest and having initially purchased a size 18 dress, Davies was determined to tie the knot with her partner Paul, 55, wearing a smaller size.

And when the couple's special day was postponed due to the pandemic, Davies realised she would have more time to lose weight.

Read more: A man's guide to doing battle with belly fat

"I wanted to look the best I could on my wedding day, and make Paul proud of me," she explains.

"When I tried my dress on for the first time, I loved it, but it was like a sausage skin on me!

"My daughter-in-law Heather actually picked it out for me, and before I'd even tried it on she said 'that's your dress'.

"It was a size 18 when I bought it, but my plan was to lose enough that it would need alterations," she adds.

In the end the dress needed some pretty major alterations as Davies managed to lose six stone and drop four dress sizes before her big day in August 2021.

Though she had tried dieting in the past, the looming wedding gave Davies a newfound determination she had never had before.

"I joined Slimming World with Paul and really focused on eating better, and I felt like this time it just clicked," she explains.

Read more: The NHS' 12-week weight loss plan explained

As well as doing more online deliveries in her job, which ensured she was walking a lot and hitting her daily steps, Davies also ensured she became more active and overhauled her diet.

"I never felt like I was depriving myself of food, just making better choices," she says.

"I've now got into habits with eating that will serve me for the rest of my life."

Before her weight loss, Davies says her size not only impacted her self-esteem but held her back from being active with her grandchildren.

"I have two granddaughters, and the three-year-old, Philippa, was always having me running around after her, but it was awkward for me trying to do that," she explains.

"I had all these aches and pains in my legs and feet, I'd get out of breath going up the stairs."

She adds: "I wasn't happy with myself, I just felt frumpy and I was always hiding myself away."

But having completed her weight loss journey, Davies says she now has a whole new lease of life.

"I'm just able to move better, and I'm so much more confident," she says.

"I can run around after my granddaughter with no issues now, and I just feel so much better."

Read more: Woman shares her weight loss secrets to dropping over 11st

The icing on the (wedding) cake was feeling wonderful in her newly altered dress, which had gone from being a size 18 to a size 12.

"I had the perfect wedding day in my dream dress," she says of the moment.

"When I saw the picture from when I first tried it on again, I was so glad I didn't look like that on my wedding day," she adds.

"I felt like I looked my best on the day, and some of the guests who I hadn't seen over lockdown were shocked at my transformation.

"Paul was so proud of me, and I was proud of myself. Heather said she knew I'd look beautiful no matter what, but the dress suited me perfectly after I'd lost the weight."

Additional reporting Caters.