Many little girls dream of walking down the aisle on their wedding day, standing eye-to-eye with their partner, and reciting their vows in front of their loved ones. What many of us who have the ability to use our legs don’t realize is how much of a privilege this actually is. Chelsie Hill envisioned herself walking down the aisle to her groom, as well. That is, until an accident in 2010 left her paralyzed from the waist down. Still, she was determined to make her dream come true. Then, on the day of their wedding, she gave her groom the surprise of his life. (1)
Paralyzed Bride Walks Down The Aisle On Her Wedding Day
In 2010, Chelsie Hill’s life changed forever. A teenager at the time, she was a passenger in a drunk driving accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Until that point, she had been a pretty regular teenager. She loved dancing and did so competitively. She also dreamed of one day getting married and walking down the aisle to greet her groom. When she woke up, those hopes for a future filled with dance and a regular wedding seemed impossible as the doctors informed her that she would likely never walk again. (2)
Chelsie, however, quickly decided that she was determined to never let her wheelchair stop her. The first step in this was, of course, figuring out how to dance again. She founded a group called The Rollettes, a female dance crew for women with disabilities. Using this platform, she has been empowering women for nearly 10 years now to not let their disabilities stop them.
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Love Life Not Lost
While her dance career continued despite her injury, one aspect of her life that scared her was finding love. She had always dreamed of getting married one day. Now, she was afraid that no one would be able to love her as she was – wheelchair and all. That is until she met her now-husband, Jay Bloomfield.
“After my accident, I wasn’t sure if I would ever find someone who truly loved all of me. You have accepted me fully, honored me, and adored all the parts of me,” she said in her vows, which she wrote on Instagram.
The pair met in 2017 and, well, the rest is history. Still, though Chelsie found the man of her dreams, she just couldn’t picture herself rolling down the aisle. This was something that she wanted to do on her own two feet.
“I want to stress that there’s nothing wrong with sitting down in your chair,” she said. “But for me growing up, I always imagined myself walking down the aisle.”
She continued to explain why this was so important to her.
“And I just wanted to feel that — not that my disability has taken anything away from me — but I just wanted to feel that heart to heart and stand up there eye to eye with him,” she added. “That was just really something really important to me personally.”
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The Surprise of A Lifetime
With the help and support of her friends and family – and a custom-made dress – Chelsie made that dream a reality as well. While Jay was preparing himself at the alter, Chelsie was in the back with her bridesmaids strapping on leg braces and getting set up with a beautifully decorated walker.
@ashajpg she said she dreamed of the day she’d look her husband in the eye on their wedding day, and she did that 🥺
♬ In This Shirt – The Irrepressibles
She made sure to arrange it so that Jay’s back would be turned when she first entered the ceremony. Next, she began making her way down the aisle with her father at her side assisting her. Needless to say, Jay’s jaw dropped the moment he saw her. Normally not one for surprises, this one was one that he will cherish forever.
Chelsie also did her vows standing up, eye-to-eye with her groom, just like she always dreamed. Furthermore, she choreographed a special father-daughter dance that included her wheelchair. For her first dance with her husband, however, she decided to do that one, too, standing.
It was a stunning ceremony and reception. Certainly, it was not one that any of Chelsie and Jay’s friends and family will ever forget. For Chelsie, it meant proving yet again that her disability has never and will never stop her from achieving her dreams.
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Sources
- “A bride who uses a wheelchair surprised her groom by walking down the aisle at their wedding.” Insider. Samantha Grindell. November 15, 2021.
- “About Chelsie Hill.” Chelsie Hill