Heartbroken bride issues urgent warning after routine, pre-wedding 'glow-up' left her 'blind in one eye'

Daily Mail​

08-08-2025

An entrepreneur has revealed how a pre-wedding laser facial treatment left her hospitalised and blind in one eye.
Marisa Poster is the founder of PerfectTed, which sells canned matcha drinks in a range of flavours.
The native New Yorker, who now lives in London, tied the knot last year in a lavish ceremony.
But not all went to plan, as ahead of the nuptials, Marisa underwent a IPL facial, which left her in terrible pain, and left her face so swollen, she was unable to see out of one eye.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the 28-year-old said that initially, she was looking forward to the procedure which she had the day after her wedding hair and makeup trial.
'I was genuinely excited,' she said about the laser treatment. 'I've had IPL before and found it super effective for rosacea - it calms the redness and leaves your skin feeling so fresh.
'My facialist recommended doing it about four weeks before the wedding to get the best results in time for the big day. It felt like a smart, routine step.'
However, she said, as soon as the treatment began, she knew something was wrong.
Marisa explained: 'But the moment the treatment began, I knew something was off. I'd numbed my face for 30 minutes as usual, but the pain was unbearable and far worse than anything I'd experienced previously.
'I asked the technician if that was normal, and they told me the discomfort meant it was 'working.' Spoiler: it very much was not working.
'By the time I got home, my face was swollen, red, and starting to ooze. I remember looking in the mirror thinking, What have I done? Within an hour, I was spiralling, panic set in fast, and I was already thinking about the wedding and how I might have completely derailed everything we'd planned.'
And things got worse over the next few hours.
'Over the following hours, my face was severely swollen,' said Marisa.
'My left eye swelled completely shut. I wasn't crying - my face was literally oozing. My husband Levi was out, and I remember my brother-in-law Teddie looking at me and saying, 'you're turning into a tomato".'
The situation got so bad that she ended up in A&E, where she was put on a steroid drip, given an oral steroid called prednisone, and prescribed a topical cream.
Marisa said: 'I'd been so excited for the wedding - it was such a deeply personal celebration. As a busy founder, I'd spent so much time thinking through every detail, avoiding the dreaded 'wedding tax' where prices skyrocket just because the word 'wedding' is attached, and choosing to DIY as much as possible, from picking a flexible venue to incorporating our own brand, PerfectTed, throughout the day in thoughtful, intentional ways.
'I'd genuinely tried to plan a wedding that reflected our values and stayed true to who we are, so having something like this happen felt devastating.
'At that point I was laughing and crying at the same time - mostly in shock - because I couldn't believe this was happening to me a few weeks before the wedding.'
However, rather than panic, Marisa decided to use the experience to create a new idea called PerfectWed, where her brand gives nearly-weds cans of their matcha drinks, to help reduce the stress of couples, and 'give their guests a healthy, long-lasting energy option on the big day'.
Despite seeking medical attention at hospital, Marisa says she never got any clarity as to why she had such a strong reaction to the laser treatment - something she described as 'frustrating'.
She added: 'The doctors thought it could've been a sensitivity to the laser itself or one of the products used. Everything was a blur - I was anxious, embarrassed, and honestly just desperate for the swelling to go down.
At one point, Marisa feared they would have to postpone the wedding. She revealed that she 'had a complete breakdown in A&E'.
She said: 'I'd never experienced anything like this. My face was twice its normal size, one eye was completely swollen shut, and I was terrified I wouldn't look like myself - or even be able to attend.
'It was heartbreaking. You spend so long imagining your wedding day, and suddenly, it felt like it might not happen.'
Thankfully, the treatment worked quickly enough that it all just about worked out, and although it was close, Marisa and Levi were able to push ahead with the wedding as planned.
But the incident did mean she missed out on precious wedding planning time.
Marisa explained: 'For five full days, I couldn't see properly. I wear contacts daily, but I couldn't get them in - my eyes were too swollen.
'My glasses wouldn't even sit on my face. It had doubled in size. I couldn't even work during that time as my face was so swollen I could barely open my eyes.'
She said she tried to carry on with wedding planning, but it wasn't easy.
'I remember showing up to my final dress fitting still visibly swollen and telling the seamstress, 'I promise I won't look like this on the day!'.
'Most of the admin ended up moving online or was handled by Levi and my friends while I recovered.'
She added: 'The fact that there were no long-term side effects is honestly a miracle.'
Marisa described the situation as 'a perfect storm', as she had to work as well as wedding plan, but was in physical pain, and struggling to get things done.
Because of her experience, she has advice to share with other brides to be.
'Please don't fall into the trap of doing more just because the wedding industry says you should,' Marisa said.
'As a founder, I'm already constantly doing a million things - I genuinely thought I was being efficient and proactive by slotting in one last 'glow-up' appointment. But in hindsight, it was unnecessary and added way more stress than it was worth.
'There are so many messages out there targeting brides-to-be, telling us to optimise every inch of ourselves. But it's all noise. You are already enough.
'If I could give one piece of advice to brides: do less. Be kind to yourself. And don't try anything new close to the wedding - even if it feels routine or harmless.'
She added: 'Even if you've done beauty treatments before, every session can be different. Skin is unpredictable. I thought a month was plenty of time to recover, but clearly, it wasn't.
'If you're going to do anything like IPL, do it months in advance. Honestly, though, I'd skip it altogether. Brides already have enough to think about - you don't need your face literally melting to be one of those things.'
Marisa noted that nothing is worth risking your wellbeing in the final weeks before your wedding. She said: 'Just be. Let yourself enjoy it.'
Because of the pressure put on brides, she added that it can be 'so easy to get caught up in the noise'.
'That kind of overstimulation and decision fatigue can become completely overwhelming — especially in the lead-up to something as emotional as a wedding,' she noted.
'And honestly, life is already so busy and I say this as a businesswoman and a founder — we launched PerfectTed out of a personal need after coffee and traditional energy drinks worsened my ADHD and anxiety symptoms.
'Now I see that same need again through a wedding lens: to feel calm, clear and connected. PerfectWed may be a campaign, but at its heart, it's about giving something back — helping couples cut through the noise, reduce stress, and focus on what really matters.'
When it comes to why she chose to share her story, Marisa told FEMAIL: 'Weddings should be joyful, not full of anxiety over a facial gone wrong. If my story stops even one bride from booking a risky treatment too close to their big day, then honestly, it's worth the embarrassment.'