When Laura Patnaude stepped into her wedding gown for her first fittinglast month, she asked her seamstress, “How much weight is too much to lose before the dress is in danger?”
“About 40 pounds,” her seamstress responded
Fortunately, Patnaude, a former beauty pageant contestant from Dover, N.H., had lost only about 25 pounds after starting a GLP-1 medication last year. In August, she will elope to Paris with her fiancé and then celebrate with family and friends in the dress this fall
“I’ve always struggled with my weight,” said Patnaude, 33. “I didn’t think I would care about it, but there’s a lot of pressure [because] these photos will last forever.”
For generations, brides have searched for ways to slim down before walking down the aisle. There were juice cleanses, boot camps, and crash diets like Keto. Now, obesity specialists say GLP-1 medications such as Zepbound, Ozempic, and Wegovy have become the latest fad, but with one major difference — they are prescription drugs that come with serious side effects
Many couples, including grooms, admit they’re jumping on board. A recent survey from Zola,an online wedding platform, found that 10 percent of couples planning 2026 weddings said they were taking a GLP-1 medication. Another 10 percent were considering it, and more than half of current users said their upcoming wedding helped motivate the decision. Four in 10 couples also said easier access to the drugs has increased the pressure to achieve a certain look before saying “I do.”
But doctors worry that aggressive marketing of GLP-1s by telehealth companies, combined with influencer culture and their social media promo codes, has made the prescription medications seem like just another part of getting wedding-ready.For bridal shops and tailors, the trend has brought a surge of alterations for bridal parties, creating stress and uncertainty over who’s to blame when a dress no longer fits after weight loss
GLP-1 medications mimic a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, slows digestion, and signals the brain that the body is full, making people feel less hungry and reducing what many users call “food noise.”
For people with obesity or weight-related conditions, the drugs can be life-changing, helping lower the risk of heart disease, said Dr. Caroline Apoal Brigham
Traditionally, patients seeking a GLP-1 undergo a evaluation by a physician to determine whether they meet medical criteria — typically a body mass index of 30 or higher, or certain obesity-related conditions — and after discussing nutrition, exercise, potential side effects, and the likelihood that treatment may need to be lifelong
But the explosion of telehealth platforms has transformed that process. Patients can now obtain prescriptions after completing an online questionnaire or a brief virtual consultation, making the drugs far more accessible to people seeking to lose weight for cosmetic reasons
Apo. Even for appropriate patients, GLP-1s can cause nausea, vomiting, and severe constipation. In rare cases, severe constipation can become dangerous
“People are already ending up in the emergency room with projectile vomiting,” Apou’re at risk for a small bowel obstruction that could require surgery.”
Still, GLP-1 use has become so popular that some bridal boutiques are asking brides on GLP-1s to sign legal waivers acknowledging that a dress ordered in a certain sizemay not fit and that the store isn’t responsible if continued weight loss creates problems, according to a Wall Street Journal article this spring. Meanwhile, David’s Bridal is taking the opposite approach. In May, the retailer noted more brides are turning to GLP-1s and added a “fit guarantee” to “ease brides’ anxiety over their wedding dress,” its CEO, Kelly Cook, told ABC News in May.
“I’ve lived through all the weird diets. I’ve seen brides drop 80 pounds on Keto,” said seamstress Cheryl Jacksonin Somersworth, N.H., who has been tightening wedding gowns for 25 years. Fittings are typically scheduled two months out, 30 days out, and one week out from the wedding, but sometimes brides need alterations the day of the wedding due to weight loss
“Brides at the end are stressed out, not eating anymore, and always need alterations,” she said. “This isn’t anything new. Still, I’m a little overwhelmed this season.”
For those considering it, the barriers to obtaining a prescription have largely disappeared. Telehealth companies advertise appointments that take minutes. Influencers share referral codes and discount offers. Online pharmacies deliver medications directly to patients’ homes, often without an in-person doctor’s visit
Patnaude found PlushCare, a telehealth platform, through an online advertisement and paid for a membership to see a physician, who prescribed Zepbound for $30 a month through her insurance. When her coverage changed, she switched to oral Wegovy through Amazon Pharmacy, paying about $150 a month
“I don’t find that it [Wegovy] has the same kick,” she said, adding that she hasn’t lost weight as rapidly as a year ago. “I probably need a higher dose, but that would cost more, and if I lose much more weight, the dress might not look right.”
A study published last weekin the Journal of the American Medical Association found that researchers posing as patients were able to obtain GLP-1 prescriptions from 45 of 49 telehealth websites they tested, often within 24 hours and sometimes in less than five minutes. Researchers found that many online platforms skipped key screening questions, including whether patients had eating disorders or what lifestyle changes they had already tried. In several cases, the same clinician issued multiple prescriptions through different telehealth companies.
The study also pointed out that some websites promoting GLP-1s sell compounded versions of the drugs that are not FDA-approved, have not been tested for safety and “can be risky for patients,” the US Food and Drug Administration warns
The findings, physicians say, highlight a lack of medical oversight in a growing online marketplace selling them
“If all someone cares about is fitting into a wedding gown or tuxedo, I’m not going to prescribe a GLP-1. That’s against my oath,” Apo
Once a patient stops a GLP-1, hunger hormones rebound, and the body often tries to regain the lost weight, or potentially more, Apotients aren’t eating enough protein or strength training, she said
Patnaude understands both sides. She said she first tried discussing weight loss with a physician years ago but left feeling dismissed
“‘Eat right and exercise,’” she recalled being told. “I thought, ‘No kidding. If that worked, I wouldn’t be asking.’”
She also has no plans to stop the medication as long as she can afford it. She said the biggest change hasn’t been the number on the scale but the disappearance of “food noise.”
Julia Dacri, of Boston, turned to GLP-1s after recently tearing her ACL in a skiing accident, making it difficult to exercise during her recovery
She’s planning a January wedding in Plymouth
“Being out of commission was the deciding factor,” said Dacri, 30. “I’m spending so much money on this day. I want to look like myself and feel confident.”
Dacri started using tirzepatide, known by the brand names Mounjaro or Zepbound, for rapid weight loss two weeks ago after seeing an influencer post a video showing how she used a GLP-1 to fit into a bridesmaid dress. At the end of the video, she gave a promo code for Mochi Health, an online weight loss program that offers compounded as well as brand-name drugs
Dacri had already spent $4,000 on her big ballgown with a basque waist and lots of lace, and wasn’t hoping for a dramatic transformation, “just a few pounds.”
For people without obesity or weight-related medical conditions, Apos
“We haven’t studied these medications in people who don’t have the disease they’re designed to treat,” she said. “Why take a drug if you don’t have the disease?”
Sarah Rahal can be reached at sarah.rahal@globe.com. Follow her on X @SarahRahal_ or Instagram @sarah.rahal
