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PG@chronicallyjenni Why Disabled Representation Matters in Weddings!
Have you ever seen a disabled bride or groom featured on a wedding supplier’s socials or website?
Because right now my entire feed is wedding content: venues, dresses, hair and makeup, photographers. And I realised something. I haven’t seen a single visibly disabled person represented anywhere.
And it is disheartening.
But it also makes everything harder.
I have had to contact every supplier just to ask the basics: are you accessible, have you ever worked with a disabled bride or groom, is there space for mobility aids, can I get ready on the ground floor, do you have an accessible toilet that genuinely works for wheelchair users, do you cater for people with dietary restriction. I have even spoken to venues at wedding fayres who needed to phone someone to confirm if they had a ramp. Photobooth companies I have to tell that their camera is too high for wheelchair users. Most getting ready areas are upstairs which immediately rules them out for me. It has been a minefield and compromises have had to be made.
And this is not only about me as a disabled bride. Around twenty percent of the population is disabled. Most weddings will have disabled guests. If suppliers are not thinking about accessibility when they design their venues, websites, timelines or services, they are making it harder for a significant number of people to feel welcome and included.
I have also had to make sacrifices in my planning. There are things I would have loved to include, or locations and outfits I would have loved to choose, but they simply were not accessible to me. That is the reality for many disabled couples planning their day.
So I want to make a little wedding series about what this process is really like from a disabled and chronically ill
perspective. Not for pity, but because representation matters, accessibility matters, and these conversations help everybody.
If you have any wedding questions you want me to cover along the way, add them in the comments so we can answer them on our journey to our big day!
#DisabledBride #InclusiveWeddings #DisabilityAwareness
@pghlesbian
