Bride Who Lost Her Eyesight At 17 Has Unique Way For Her Wedding Guests And Groom To Experience 'A Moment In Her Shoes'
"It was such an emotional moment and one that I will remember for the rest of my life."
@lucyedwards / TikTok A bride shared the heartwarming initiative that she and her groom took to make sure all of their wedding guests would have a part in their special day.
In a TikTok video, Lucy Edwards, an influencer and activist living in Birmingham, England, shared moments from her wedding to her fiancé Ollie Cave with her followers and made sure to point out how she got all of the guests in attendance to experience a moment in her shoes.
She had the groom and all of the guests wear blindfolds as she walked down the aisle.
Edwards, 27, lost her eyesight completely when she was only 17 years old due to a rare genetic disorder called incontinentia pigmenti. However, she refused to let her disability take away from the loving and special day that was her wedding, and even found a creative way to have all of her guests experience what that day was like for her.
In a video, Edwards wrote in overlay text: "I'm blind and I blindfolded my sighted husband and guests when I walked down the aisle." In clips from the wedding, Edwards showed the moment she emerged from the car at the venue, as all of her bridal party helped her inside, along with her father. There was even a moment to pause on her adorable seeing-eye dog, who was clad in a white tulle around its neck and some flowers.
Edwards even showed the moment she walked down the aisle. All of her guests were wearing black blindfolds as she was escorted to meet her husband by her father. At the altar, Cave donned a similar blindfold, and even after all of the guests took theirs off once they were seated, he made sure to keep his on.
In the caption of her video, Edwards explained that both she and Cave agreed that he would keep his blindfold on so he'd be able to feel her wedding dress material in the exact same way that she had. Behind his blindfold, Edwards' husband was getting visibly choked up as he embraced his new wife.
"This was such an important experience for us both even though Ollie isn’t blind, but we thought it was really important for him and all of my guests to experience what it’s like for me in the most important moment of our life so far," Edwards wrote in the caption of her video.
"It was such an emotional moment and one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I am so lucky that I have a husband that accepts me for exactly who I am, my disability and everything."
Edwards revealed that it made her uncomfortable to think about everyone staring as she walked down the aisle.
In an interview with Insider, Edwards shared that before she and Cave had decided to use blindfolds, it made her feel uneasy to think about people looking at her as she walked down the aisle, especially since she wouldn't be able to look and smile back as she had previously imagined her special day to be.
"So I thought, right, I know no one does this, but let's blindfold all my guests, and we can all not see each other and we can all live in this beautiful moment together," Edwards told the news outlet. "I never envisaged that I would walk down the aisle to Ollie as a blind person," she continued, noting that her blindness occurred just two months into her relationship with Cave.
As for the response from her wedding guests, Edwards received feedback from almost everyone about how much they enjoyed wearing blindfolds during her walk down the aisle, and how that was their favorite moment throughout the entire wedding.
"I wanted to show that you don't need eyesight to have vision. You don't need eyesight to have a lovely time, to experience the milestones in our lives," Edwards insisted. "You know, I'm not going to have eyesight when I give birth to my children, but that's OK and I've come to terms with that."
Edwards' message that one doesn't need eyesight to have a vision for moments in our lives is a powerful reminder that every individual's journey is unique and beautiful in its own way. Something that once scared her quickly became the most special moment in her entire wedding ceremony and is a testament to how important the idea of love can be in transcending physical limitations!
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.