Blind bride lets wedding guests 'walk in her shoes' by blindfolding them

A bride who lost her sight before her wedding decided to blindfold guests on her big day, so they could ‘walk in her shoes’.

Lucy Edwards, 27, began losing her sight at the age of 11, due to incontentia pigmenti – a rare genetic skin condition.

As a pre-teen, she started losing sight in her right eye – but then it deteriorated more rapidly at the age of 17.

Lucy met her partner, Ollie Cave, in 2015 just before before she lost her sight completely and the couple got engaged in June 2018.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

‘I was sighted when we first got together,’ Lucy, a content creator and broadcaster, from Birmingham, West Midlands, said.

‘But there was always this looming prospect that one day I’d lose my vision.

‘I had to tell myself it was a possibility – but I still thought: “Nope. It’ll never happen.”

‘I didn’t think I’d be a blind bride when I met Ollie.’

The couple set the wedding date for August 31, 2023, and in 2022 Lucy decided she didn’t want her friends and family to see her walking down the aisle.

Instead, Lucy thought it was important for them to experience the ‘bittersweetness’ she’s felt for her sight loss over the last 10 years.

‘My family were concerned I’d be missing out on my moment,’ she said.

‘Which would’ve been everyone seeing me walking down the aisle.

‘Grief hits you in different ways – and it was important for them to experience that, when I’ve been living it every day.’

Lucy and Ollie ensured their wedding was as sensory as possible and hired out three conservatories at Kew Gardens for £12,000.

The bride then made sure her guests were blindfolded as she walked down the aisle to ‘Arrival of the Birds’ – part of the ‘Theory of Everything’ film score.

She said: ‘As I walked down the aisle, the instruments got to a crescendo. You could smell the flowers, too – it was quite overwhelming for everyone.

‘I think people were shocked at just how much they could hear.

‘It was a sad moment – but really poignant. I’ve never felt two conflicting emotions so deeply.

‘My chest was heaving – but at the same time, I was absolutely buzzing. I had butterflies because I was marrying the man I love.’

Ollie was also able to feel Lucy’s wedding dress to take it all in before taking his blindfold off to lay eyes on his wife-to-be.

The couple also ensured all other aspects of the wedding were accessible as possible.

Lucy said: ‘Kew is so sensory and flat, with great access for disabled people. I worked closely with a brand to make sure there was lots of signage all around the venue – which had QR codes that gave people audio descriptions.

‘Our place setters were written in Braille for the meal – and we had lots of sensory food.’

Recalling his wedding day, Ollie added: ‘The moment when we all blindfolded ourselves was one of the most emotional I’ve ever been.

‘We really wanted to make this moment something that was equal for the both of us and I wouldn’t have ever changed the way we did it. For that brief moment, everyone was experiencing my Lucy’s world.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Source: Read Full Article