A wheelchair-using groom has undergone a year of physical therapy to be able to stand for his first dance with his wife on their wedding day.
Barry MacDowell, 49, and his wife, Emma, 36 — who both have multiple sclerosis — met on an MS support platform and bonded over their similar sense of humor.
Once they became a couple, Emma moved herself and her son, Corbhan Doyle, 11, in with Barry in Kinmylies, Inverness, Scotland and in 2021, father of three Barry – who has used a wheelchair since 2018 – proposed to Emma. , with the couple immediately starting to plan their big day.
Barry was determined to get up and join his bride for their first dance — a medley of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up And Dance” — on their wedding day on April 8 2023 at the Kingsmills Hotel. , Inverness, Scotland.
The pair decided to keep their stunt a surprise for their guests and only Barry, Emma and a team of neurophysiotherapists were involved in pulling it off. Not only were their guests amazed, but Emma was also in shock – while Barry remained on his feet throughout the song, supported by his physio team.
Barry MacDowell, 49, who lives with multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, surprised his wedding party and his wife, Emma, 36 – who also has the condition – by standing for the duration of their first dance on their wedding day in Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness, Scotland
Emma, a former hairdresser originally from Portsmouth, Hampshire, said: ‘Barry was able to walk when we first met in 2017, but he’s only been in a wheelchair ever since.
“That’s why I should always be behind him pushing him, because at first he couldn’t move himself.
“So that dance was a different kind of closeness. Until then I didn’t even know he was taller than me.
“Now it’s done, it doesn’t feel real — I want to do it again.”
Barry, a former BMW technician, added: ‘My legs were sore for two and a half weeks after the wedding – but of course it was worth it.’
Barry was diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) in 2015 – after waiting more than a decade for a diagnosis.
Pictured: The happy couple with their family on their big day last April. The pair first met online in 2017
Barry admitted his legs hurt for two weeks after the wedding stunt, but said it had been worth it
After the pair struck up a romance, Emma moved in with her son, Corbhan Doyle, 11, and Barry proposed in 2021
The delay prevented him from receiving proper treatment for a long time – meaning the condition worsened, leaving him dependent on a wheelchair.
Emma has the same condition after she was diagnosed at the age of 29 following a bout of meningitis.
But a prompt diagnosis in 2016 allowed her to be treated sooner, so she can still walk, although she suffers from numbness in her hands, bladder problems and memory problems.
Barry and Emma, single parents at the time, started chatting online in 2017 through an MS support group on Facebook.
They first met in person at their MS group’s Christmas gathering in Glasgow, Scotland, in December – and ended up spending the entire weekend together because they got along so well.
The couple had decided to surprise their guests with a dance number on their wedding day last April
The medley’s duration of one minute and thirty seconds was the longest time Barry has ever spent before
They then started visiting each other every few weeks, traveling between Portsmouth and Inverness once they became official – and Emma and Corbhan had moved in with Barry in September 2018.
Emma said: ‘We get on so well – we started with funny jokes and our relationship grew from there.
‘We’re BOB – Built On Banter – we take apart the mickey all the time.
“The main things we have in common are love for Oasis and having MS.
‘Besides, we’re polar opposites – but somehow it works.’
Barry added, “We go together like peas and carrots, as Forrest Gump says.”
In early 2021, Barry proposed, but in July of that year, Emma lost her beloved father, Robert Townsend, 64.
Emma said: ‘His death put things into perspective – for a while I didn’t see the point of getting married because my dad wouldn’t be there.
“But when Barry suggested we have a low-key wedding instead, I realized I wanted to share it with a lot of people.”
They booked their wedding venue in early 2022 and the countdown to the big day had begun.
With a year to go, Barry had an idea – that he would undergo special physical therapy to teach him how to stand so he could properly dance with Emma on their big day.
That is why they enlisted the help of Move4ward – an organization that specializes in neurophysiotherapy and rehabilitation.
Barry said, ‘It was just amazing. I told them about the first dance of the wedding, and they said yes, we’ll let you do this.’
Through countless practice sessions using parallel bars and a zero-gravity treadmill, Barry made slow but steady progress.
They tried to get Barry vertical using leg braces but it was too painful so the plan was for Dave and Jude from Move4ward to hold him up for the dance.
And as the wedding day rolled by, the pressure was on.
Only Emma, Barry, Dave and Jude knew what was about to happen when ‘Thinking Out Loud’ started.
Dave and Jude – dressed in black and balaclavas so as not to be in the limelight – discreetly slipped onto the dance floor and helped Barry to his feet.
He stood for the entire dance – one minute and 30 seconds – the longest time he had ever stood up before.
Emma said, ‘It was great dancing with him.
“Although I was afraid all along that he was about to headbutt me.”
Barry said he was “so proud” of his achievement – and since the wedding, the couple has loved married life.
He said, ‘The dance was great.
“Two and a half weeks after the wedding, my legs hurt, but of course it was worth it.
“Every day I wear earplugs and watch our wedding video.
“I love it, I just can’t stop looking at it.”
Move4ward’s Dave Powney added: ‘We loved it [Barry’s] attitude and determination and were only too happy to help him.
‘Initially we practiced with Barry standing weightless in our Alter-G Anti-Gravity treadmill. A few days before the wedding, we managed to realize his first independent stand with us.
“On the day, myself and my colleague Jude Simms just helped Barry get up and then dance with Emma, not a dry eye in the house at this point.”