This Bride Is Going Viral for Skipping Makeup on Her Wedding Day

Madison got married in October, shared photos in November, and is now going viral this December. On TikTok, the 26-year-old posted a series of images from her wedding ceremony, which has since amassed over four million views and more than 530,000 likes.

There, she explained that she never really wears makeup, so the decision was literally and figuratively natural. “I have never felt so beautiful and confident,” the Wisconsin native wrote over her images. Through the caption, she said that most of the people in their lives weren’t surprised at all—a stark contrast with how people all over the globe expressed on the internet that they were amazed and shocked in the best way possible.

The road to foregoing makeup on her big day wasn’t a smooth one. “There was a time when I couldn’t stand to look in the mirror because of my acne,” Madison added. “Now I’m proud to leave my skin as is.” She told People Magazine that she grew up trying hard to cover her cystic acne, but she has more regrets about layering makeup over it than just letting it be. For her wedding, she wanted people to see her face, and not products.

She initially had worries about it appearing weird, but her husband immediately reassured her that it wouldn’t be the case “because that’s exactly who I am, and I don’t need to change that or give in to any expectations."

This trickled down to the decorations in their ceremony as well, many of which were thrifted or DIY, and that’s what made it more special in her opinion. The characteristics of being simple, meaningful, and authentic were embodied throughout.

Madison acknowledged that she’s not the first bride to go makeup-free—it’s just not something talked about or shown very often, and perhaps it’s time for that to change.