An Introduction

I am starting this blog out of frustration. Because I know I am not the first woman in a wheelchair to get married and yet in all the vastness of the internet I have found exactly two examples of how some brides have decorated their chairs for the big day and absolutely nothing of dresses that work best for the seated bride. And that’s just the dress. There is also the shoe issue. I will be using both my chair and crutches on my big day and I need a dress and shoes that work for both. This, it seems, has never happened before. I know that this is bound to be the first of several problems I might encounter which require some creativity, luckily I, like many people with disabilities, am a master of ingenuity.

I guess, since I really don’t have many answers at this point I should start with an introduction. My name is Melissa and I am 28 years old. I was born with what they call a “Moderate” case of Cerebral Palsy. I am able to walk, using crutches or a walker, but use a chair at work and for long distances. I met my fiancé, Tom on Myspace when I was 23 almost 24. Last summer we bought a house and I started a full time job at a local nonprofit. This allowed me to come off of SSI and marry Tom without any government strings attached. He proposed in March and the big day is scheduled for September 10, 2011.

So that’s us. Now, that we have passed the one year mark, the planning is starting to kick into full gear. The first big order of business is the the dress. Let the games begin.