Four women reveal why they went for ‘something new’ by going under the knife before saying ‘I do’
The pressure to look your best when you walk down the aisle is driving more and more brides to have cosmetic surgery
ALL brides want to dazzle on their big day. But some are so keen to look perfect they go under the knife.
A new trend is for “hand fillers” inserted under the skin to smooth out wrinkles before the ring is slipped on to their finger.
Other brides opt for surgery in the hope of an even more dramatic transformation.
From bigger breasts to slimmer waists, JENNY FRANCIS meets up with four women who got “something new” before they said "I do".
'Boob job was not vanity, it was empowerment'
NURSE Chloe McMullin was so thrilled when her boyfriend proposed, she decided to make her happiness complete by boosting her bust with a £4,500 op.
Chloe, 26, of Callington, Cornwall, married installation firm boss Ben, 28, in summer 2015 and is now mum to Preston, two, and Luna-Rose, one. She says:
"Ever since I was a teenager I was self-conscious of my flat chest.
I always hoped they’d eventually grow, but after puberty they were still a 32A.
I never wore revealing tops and, when Ben proposed, the thought of the spotlight scared me.
I wanted to feel confident and womanly walking up the aisle and knew the only way to do this was to get a breast enlargement.
I’d started dress-shopping and tried on a strapless gown I fell in love with.
Next on the list – new boobs. I researched surgeons and booked in at the Transform Clinic in London on March 31, 2015.
My fiance and mum came with me and, as I awoke from the anaesthetic, I couldn’t wait to see my new 34D boobs.
I couldn’t lift anything heavy for six weeks, but when the swelling subsided I was thrilled with the results.
Five months later I was stepping into the dress of my dreams and no one could wipe the smile from my face.
My breasts filled out the dress and even my husband couldn’t believe how confident I was. It’s not about vanity for me, it’s about being an empowered bride."
'Being a mum left me with wobbly bits all over'
MUM-of-three Sherreen Otto, 37, gave her body a £12,000 cosmetic surgery overhaul including a Brazillian butt lift before her wedding to property developer Carl Otto, 37.
The croupier from Hackney, East London, wanted a shapely bum to fill out her wedding gown. She says:
"When I got engaged, I already had three beautiful daughters, Shianne, who is now 21, Milanne who is 19, and India, 12.
I loved everything about being a mum, but it left me with a saggy bum and wobbly bits all over.
I was a shapeless size 16 and was determined to have curves for my wedding day.
I tried the gym, but exercise only got me half way there.
I didn’t jump straight into it, I spent hours online looking at options.
Then I booked in for a breast uplift and upper torso liposuction in January in Belgium. I was sore afterwards but eventually I healed.
But I’d found a tight gown and wanted Beyoncé-style curves to show it off.
I decided a Brazilian bum lift was my best option – which takes fat from your stomach and inserts it into your bottom.
I found a female surgeon in the Dominican Republic and knew I wanted her to do the procedure.
I flew there alone in May 2015 and had surgery the day after.
The procedure took seven hours and I woke up feeling sore and bruised.
Celebrities make recovering from plastic surgery look easy. It isn’t. I spent two weeks in bed, wearing a corset and special leggings.
It took three months before I started feeling like my old self again and I worried I’d complicated the pre-wedding planning for the sake of a few inches off my waist.
But when I got married at church in front of 200 guests, I felt like a goddess.
Family who had not seen me in over a decade didn’t believe it was me.
My body felt amazing and when I saw the pictures I7 knew it had a been worth it."
Op isn't just for one day, it's forever
LIFE coach CAROLE ANN RICE says: “We are led by the cliche about the ‘happiest day of your life’ – which makes us feel that we need to look the part on our wedding day.
“Insecurity can kick in. But while some people can feel great with hair and make-up, others allow anxiety and pressure to take this further. Surgery is a life-altering decision and isn’t ‘just for the wedding day’ – it’s for ever.
“Of course it’s important to feel comfortable and confident. But it’s also important to remember that beauty comes from within.
“Instead of searching for a good cosmetic surgeon, you could invest your time in finding other ways to boost your self-confidence.
“Exercise, learning something new, healthier diet, a good night’s sleep – all of these things can contribute to learning to love yourself just as much as your fiance does.”
'Nose job was wedding present I gave myself'
LEANNE ARMSTRONG paid £8,000 for a wedding nose job.
Power company project manager Leanne, 29, from Durham, says the surgery gave her the confidence she needed to be photographed from all angles on her wedding day to husband Jake, 27. She says:
"All my life I hated my nose. It was long and had a big hump in the middle.
I hated having my photo taken and the minute Jake popped the question I started panicking about my wedding photos.
Every week my anxiety got worse as I thought about the official photos, plus the pictures and videos friends would take and upload to social media.
Trying on dresses wasn’t enjoyable because I couldn’t relax. All I thought about was how unattractive my nose was.
It was when I realised every time someone asked about my wedding I felt a wave of dread wash over me, I knew I had to consider surgery.
My wedding was supposed to be exciting – not terrifying.
I contacted more than 12 clinics in the UK and overseas and when I had my consultation at MYA Clinic in Preston it reassured me when they said I was not the only bride they had had in for cosmetic surgery.
I knew it would be a brutal procedure. I booked my nose job for March 2017, six months before the wedding.
My boyfriend told me I didn’t need it and was beautiful, but he supported my decision. I was nervous. When I woke up I was bandaged and black and blue from bruising.
I looked like I’d done ten rounds with Mike Tyson.
I had to take ten days off work to recover.
When I entered the church on the September 6, 2017, I wasn’t worried, or shy – I walked into the place as a confident bride.
Everyone was taking pictures and videoing me from all angles – and I loved it.
Now I’m so proud of the photos of our wedding day and have them all over the house.
It was the wedding gift I gave myself and deserved."
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'I vowed to make my body fit my dream dress'
AMANDA DOWDALL wanted to be slimmer and “less wobbly” for her wedding day – so she forked out £7,000 for liposuction and body sculpting.
Amanda, 31, full-time mum to Darwin, six, Bishop, four, and Rayne, two, married tattoo artist husband Mike, 31, in August 2015. Amanda, from Manchester, says:
"When Mike and I started planning our wedding in 2014 I already had two kids and couldn’t shift my baby weight.
I was a size 16 to 18 and felt frumpy – and even when I started going to the gym after our engagement, I couldn’t get back to my pre-baby body.
When I started trying on wedding dresses, all the styles I’d always dreamed of made me feel really self-conscious, hugging all my lumps and bumps.
I lost track of the number of times I burst into tears in dress shops. I hit the gym harder but, although I lost weight, I couldn’t get rid of some areas of flab.
Seven months before the wedding I still didn’t have a dress and I thought enough was enough. I went to a dress shop and picked out my dream gown – a strapless one with tulle skirts and an embroidered bodice with diamantes.
I put down the deposit and vowed to make my body fit the dress, not the other way round.
I went to Highfield Private Clinic in Rochdale and, after a consultation with the surgeon, booked in for lipo-sculpting and a tummy tuck to give me back the flat stomach I longed for and smooth out my waist, back and hips.
In February 2015 I went under the knife for the procedure, which lasted four hours.
I woke up feeling sore and spent two nights in hospital.
Once discharged, I had to wear special underwear for six weeks, but slowly I healed.
Two months before the wedding I tried on my dress for the first time, and cried – but this time it was tears of happiness. Mike couldn’t believe how much my confidence had changed.
It was a big decision to have major surgery but it made my wedding day the best day of my life."