Last week, I decided to write a post on imgur.com about one of this summer’s weddings. The bride, Jaquie, surprised her groom Andy by walking down the aisle.
Now, that may sound very common to you at first, but Jaquie has been confined to a wheelchair for the last eight years after an accident, and doctors told her she might never walk again. Jaquie decided she was going to train anyway, in the hopes that she would dance and walk on her wedding day.
After I wrote their story, hoping to share the incredible experience of that particular wedding, the whole internet went wild. It really did. I was flooded with messages, comments, and requests by the media, and the imgur post was read over 500k times in 24 hours. It really moved people like it had moved me. Maybe you have seen a write-up this week or last week. Here are some of the articles that picked up Jaquie & Andy’s story:
Junebug Weddings: This Bride Ditched Her Wheelchair To Walk Down The Aisle
Buzzfeed: This Paralyzed Woman Taught Herself To Walk Down The Aisle For Her Wedding Day
Good Morning America: Yahoo Wellness Wedding Feature
ABC News: Bride, Paralyzed in Accident, Walks & Dances Again at Wedding
Huffington Post UK: Paralyzed Bride Learns To Walk Again
InStyle: Woman Who Was Paralyzed Walks Down Aisle
People: Paralyzed Bride Stuns Guests
Daily Mail UK: Georgia Woman’s Dream Wedding
20 Minutes Switzerland: Braut geht zu Fuss statt im Rollstuhl zum Altar
WSBTV Atlanta: Paralyzed Atlanta Woman’s Dream Wedding
Beautiful Jaquie was even interviewed by Michaela on HLN!
I am still blown away! All of this from one late night imgur/reddit post! Here is a copy of my imgur post, so you can see the story unfold as people first did, in the beautiful photographs of Love Stories by Halie and Alec .
The Couple: Meet Jaquie & Andy, absolute sweethearts and completely in love. Jaquie lost the ability to walk after a traumatic accident. She made it her goal to walk down the aisle to Andy on the big day and went through grueling physical therapy for a year to make her dream a reality.
The Aisle:
Success! She wanted to make it happen, and she totally did! You could feel the joy in the room, it was amazing! Andy’s reaction was so sweet:
Just Married: The celebrating was so real, everyone was laughing and crying and totally overjoyed for both of them.
Seeing Her Surprise Gift: Jaquie’s mom hired me to paint the first dance. Jaquie had no idea I would be at the wedding, even though she had hinted that she wished she could hire me. Her reaction at seeing me in the reception space was so awesome, we both cried haha!
Starting the Base Drawing: I was painting a watercolor, so I started with a drawing of the space, to get the layout right. The space was Ambient Plus Studio in Atlanta, Ga, which is a loft space drenched in sunlight, and the bones of the room were all exposed, so my perspective had to be perfect before I could work on anything else.
The First Dance: Jaquie was able to leave her wheelchair aside so she could dance 🙂 It was an incredibly sweet moment.
I Spy An Easel: Look at the emotion in the room. The first dance was as powerful as walking down the aisle for everyone. This was 200 people who love Jaquie and Andy more than anything, and they were all witnessing the culmination of a year’s hard work and hope. The blurry easel in the background is me, haha, working away!
A Room With A View: Here is a good image of the space, so you can compare the painting with the reality of the place. Ambient Plus Studios is so beautiful.
Finished: If you spy dogs and cats in the painting, that’s because Andy and Jaquie have 5 pets, all of which I snuck into the wedding scene. It’s not a complete portrait without fur babies present, in my humble opinion (I’m dog obsessed).
This is a wedding I’ll never forget- I loved being a surprise for such a sweet and deserving couple. Thanks for reading!
So there you go, the post that started it all! You can see it here, if you would like to read the 500+ comments and get a taste of the madness from last Tuesday! Have I mentioned I am the luckiest girl in the world? I love my job! See you soon internet, I have so many more weddings to share!