Engagement photos are pretty stressful—after all, you want to convey the fact that you’re radiantly happy, while also just happening to look your best, ever. So, no pressure. But one woman used her engagement photos to make a statement about a health condition she suffers from, and the results are pretty powerful.

Makenzee Meaux suffers from a condition known as alopecia universalis, which is a disease that caused her hair follicles to stop growing when she was eight. Doctors aren’t sure why she developed alopecia or how to bring her hair back. She normally wears a wig, but she decided to ditch it during her engagement photos with her fiancé Bryan.

Engagement photos are pretty stressful—after all, you want to convey the fact that you’re radiantly happy, while also just happening to look your best, ever. So, no pressure. But one woman used her engagement photos to make a statement about a health condition she suffers from, and the results are pretty powerful.

Makenzee Meaux suffers from a condition known as alopecia universalis, which is a disease that caused her hair follicles to stop growing when she was eight. Doctors aren’t sure why she developed alopecia or how to bring her hair back. She normally wears a wig, but she decided to ditch it during her engagement photos with her fiancé Bryan.

Makenzee tells Women’s Health she felt a “huge relief” when she took off her wig for the photos. “I felt very excited to be fully accepting and embracing my true self,” she says. “It had been a long time coming and I was very happy that I decided to step out of my comfort zone.”

She shared the gorgeous results on Facebook—and the photos quickly went viral. “While taking our engagement pictures I decided that it was time to stop hiding from the one thing I tried hardest to hide for almost 15 years,” she wrote.

“They call it the mystery disease. Nothing else is wrong with the body other than hair will not grow which as you can imagine for a young girl, is a huge confidence killer,” she continued. “Women’s hair is their beauty and a main part of their self image. I experienced lots of bullying in the early years and along the way I lost all hope that I could ever feel beautiful again.”

But then, she wrote, she met her fiancé who changed all of that. “Until I met Bryan. I have never felt more confident or more beautiful than I do with him by my side,” she said. “He has helped me be brave and realise that hair is not what makes you beautiful and is not what makes people love you, it is truly all about what’s on the inside and for that I am forever grateful for him. He has shown me that the people who love you do not care whether or not you have hair and the ones who do are not worth your time or your love. So this is me, the true me.”

Makenzee, who started wearing a hairpiece about six months after she started losing her own hair, tells Women’s Health that she decided to share the pictures because her health condition “has always been a ‘don’t ask’ situation with my friends and distant family—I never wanted to talk about my story to anyone.” But, she says, she’s regained her confidence and self-esteem, and now feels that she’s ready to fully embrace her alopecia. “Also, I am getting married! What better time to share my story then while I’m taking pictures with the man I love in celebration of our upcoming marriage?” she says. “Me dealing with my alopecia has been the core of our relationship and our love story, so I really wanted to show that off.”

Bryan has played a big role in helping her to accept herself. “He is constantly telling me how beautiful I am and the fact that I do not have hair makes me even more beautiful,” she says. “He pushes me out of my comfort zone to help me see that the things I am nervous about due to my alopecia are not worth stressing over. He is lifting me up constantly and he has shown me that no matter the defect, there is always someone out there who will love you fully for who you are.”

While Makenzee feels good about her engagement photos, she says she’s not totally ready to go wig-less 24/7. “It is definitely a gradual process,” she says, pointing out that she’s worn her hair piece for so long that it isn’t easy to change overnight. “I will need some time to continue to become confident in my own skin.” Still, she’s well on her way, and truly an inspiration.

This article originally appeared on Women’s Health US

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