When fitness influencer Whitney Simmons got married, it was important to her to be authentic.
As a self-proclaimed “psoriasis warrior,” she wanted to show off her skin rather than hide it away for herwedding with new husband Stefan.
The bride wore a custom Ghalia Lahav gown for the ceremony at the Paradero Hotel in Todos Santos, Mexico. “[It was a] fully beaded sheer gown that sparkled and glistened under the Todos Santos sun,” Simmons tells PEOPLE. “I love the dramatic plunge neckline, but the back is the most special to me. It was important to me to show my psoriasis as it’s a huge part of my story, so I opted for a deep low back with five rows of pearls that hung perfectly aligned across my back.”
Though Simmons primarily shows off her fitness routines on her social media, she’s also open about her psoriasis, encouraging her followers to embrace their own imperfections and love their bodies.
Jordan Voth
“It’s your home 🤍 it cares for you and works continuously, day in and day out to keep you alive. Do your very best to treat it with the utmost love,” she wrote on Instagram on Aug. 10 alongside a video of her skin with visible psoriasis. Along with showing her own skin, she encourages her followers to feelempowered to show theirs as well, sending solidarity to her “autoimmune sisters.”
Simmons also shares her mental health journey with her followers, showing them that your physical health and mental health go hand in hand. She can usually be found sending love to her followers andinviting them to show grace to themselves, especially when intrusive thoughts come in.
Simmons also brings her now-husband into the fold on social media as well, working out with him and showing him off to her followers. She tells PEOPLE that her Oct. 22 wedding couldn’t have been better, thanks to him.
“I felt like everything in my life led me to this exact moment,” Simmons tells PEOPLE. “My heart could’ve exploded from the amount of gratitude I felt. With every heartbreak I’ve met, with every loss I’ve felt … it all led me to Stefan. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world that he was choosing me. There was magic in the air, I was the happiest I’ve ever been.”
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“The moment I saw Stefan during our first look, I was at complete ease,” Simmons says. “Reading my vows privately was the most special part of my day. I made it one sentence in before the tears spilled. We giggled together and I asked if he would want to read them for me because I didn’t know if I could stop the tears long enough to read them. It was a moment in time I’ll never forget. I did manage to make it through my vows but the tears of joy never stopped.”
source: people.com
