I lost my sight at 17 years old and I blindfolded my wedding guests so they could experience the day like I did – they all had goosebumps

By William On Oct 6, 2023

A blind bride who blindfolded her wedding guests so they could experience the day as she did has said the whole room was ‘tearful’ during the ceremony.

Lucy Edwards and her husband Ollie Cave from Birmingham told Good Morning Britain about their emotional big day, which recently went viral TikTok after a segment showed them blindfolding guests to “live in Lucy’s shoes for a moment.”

Lucy, who lost her sight at the age of 17, admitted that their guests at their Kew Gardens ceremony “didn’t expect to be so suffocated” because once their sight was taken they had to “deal with their emotions to sit’.

Speaking to Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard, the 27-year-old newlywed said: ‘All their blindfolds were just tears, I think people were like ‘why is she doing this’, you know, it’s one of those moments to look at the bride, but when you have a non-traditional moment, sitting with your emotions, you become so suffocated.”

‘Everyone said: ‘I will remember this for the rest of my life, you give me goosebumps.’ I don’t think they expected to be so suffocated. It was just so beautiful.’

Blind bride Lucy Edwards, from Birmingham, and her husband Ollie Cave, who blindfolded her guests, said their guests were all ‘teary-eyed’ and had ‘goosebumps’

Ollie said he tried to describe his bride at the altar through tears to the guests.

He said, “I felt Lucy’s dress, the audio completely described it, and I felt exactly why this dress was special for you.

“My grandmother came to me and said, ‘I have never been to such a wonderful wedding in seventy years.’

Ollie added: ‘We wanted it to be our wedding, we wanted Lucy to feel equal or that she wouldn’t miss anything, we wanted her to experience all the senses that we could.’

Lucy said: ‘Because I live in a non-seeing world and Ollie has been through it with me for the last ten years, we were like why not, and I couldn’t stare back at my dear friends and family and I did’ I want don’t be sad about that. I wanted to live the life I can live the way I can.

The newlywed said she loves being blind, adding, “I’ve lost my sight, but not my vision to make a difference in this world.”

She said: ‘I love having a disability, it has made me so much richer and it has given me a purpose in this world and it has made me and Ollie’s relationship so much closer.’

The emotional video, shared on TikTok, captured the moment Lucy greeted Ollie at the altar.

Lucy, who lost her sight at the age of 17, admitted that their guests ‘didn’t expect to be suffocated like this’ because once their sight was taken away they were ‘left with their emotions’.

Lucy and her husband Ollie opened up about their emotional big day on Good Morning Britain

Lucy lost her sight as a teenager due to a rare genetic condition called incontinentia pigmenti and married Ollie last month in an intimate wedding ceremony in Kew Gardens, London.

However, the 27-year-old took a unique approach to her big day, asking her husband-to-be and their family and friends to experience the walk down the aisle after dark.

The emotional video shows Lucy dressed in a beautiful white wedding dress and veil, while carrying a bridal bouquet.

The clip begins with the bride exiting a white cab, along with family and bridesmaids assisting her at the ceremony where her husband-to-be Ollie is waiting.

The group walks together while Lucy’s guide dog, Miss Molly, also wearing white flowers and a little white dress, stays by her side.

Harp music plays in the background as the text on the screen reads: ‘I am blind and I blindfolded my sighted husband and guests as I walked down the aisle.

“This is their reaction when they were in my shoes for a moment.”

Lucy, who lost her sight due to a condition called incontinentia pigmenti, asked groom Ollie to feel her wedding dress before he saw it so he could appreciate the day in a different way

@lucyedwards

So this is when I blindfolded all my guests and leisurely walked down the aisle #wedding Myself and Ollie thought it would be a really good idea to blindfold him too because when I got to the end and my dad gave my hand to Ollie he could feel my wedding dress exactly the way I felt when I first held it wore. This was such an important experience for both of us, even though Ollie is not blind, we felt it was very important for him and all my guests to experience what it is like for me at the most important moment of our lives so far. As you can see, Ollie and my dad are really struggling to keep it together. It was such an emotional moment that I will remember for the rest of my life. I’m so lucky to have a man who accepts me exactly who I am, my disability and all. The whole me. I walked down the aisle to the arrival of the birds from @The Cinematic Orchestra as this is the song at the end of one of my favorite films, The Theory of Everything. Stephen Hawking has been a huge role model in my life and I always cry at the end of that movie at his final monologue. I really believe in the philosophy that we are all just little beings and atoms on this huge planet, and Stephen taught me that you can love your disability as much as you can hate it, and that is a truly beautiful thing. It’s a sense of self that I’ve had to work on and I felt really independent walking down the aisle with my dad to this song. This is quite an emotional and raw moment to share with you, but I felt it was so important because it is not the typical way a bride walks down the aisle, but it was my way. Just remember that you are so special and you don’t have to follow traditions if you don’t want to. Our wedding day is about you and the person you love, and every moment should feel good to you. Thank you to the amazing harpist @Amie True Music (gifted) for playing the main melody along with the Delta Live 3D audio speakers we had on the aisle so we could have immersive sound. Ollie arranged something so that I could hear where I was. With every step I took, the music evolved, and so did the flowers! A truly blinding experience!

♬ Arrival of the Birds (from “The Crimson Wing Mystery of the Flamingos”) – The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

Miss Molly is seen walking down the aisle with Lucy following closely behind her as her father slowly guides her downstairs. Lucy beams with happiness as she walks over to Ollie, revealing rows of standing guests who have all been given a black blindfold to wear.

When the couple meet, an emotional Ollie breaks down.

The pair smile at each other and embrace in a loving hug before Ollie then uses his hands to feel Lucy’s dress, as Lucy would have ‘seen’ her own dress.

The guests can then be seen removing their own masks, with many smiling in admiration as the groom keeps his mask on.

Ollie can be seen crying as the text on the screen reads: ‘Before Ollie took off his blindfold, we had a moment where he could feel my dress and understand why I chose it.’

Lucy shared the images on social media this week, writing: ‘This is the moment I blindfolded all my guests and walked down the aisle on my wedding day.

‘Myself and Ollie thought it would be a really good idea to blindfold him too because when I got to the end and my dad gave my hand to Ollie he could feel my wedding dress exactly the way I felt. when I first wore it.

‘It was such an important experience for both of us, even though Ollie is not blind.

‘We thought it was very important that he and all my guests would experience what it is like for me at the most important moment of my life so far.

The couple married at Kew Gardens in South West London; Lucy said: ‘I’m so lucky to have a man who accepts me for exactly who I am, my disability and all.’

‘It was such an emotional moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.

‘I’m so lucky that I have a man who accepts me for exactly who I am, with my disability and all.

“I really believe in the philosophy that we’re all just little beings and atoms on this huge planet, and Stephen (Hawking) has taught me that you can love your disability as much as you hate it, and that’s a really beautiful thing.”

The tear-jerking clip has received more than 300,000 likes and thousands of comments. One person wrote: ‘We’ve just been told my three year old is going to lose his sight and I hope he finds someone who loves him so much. You’re beautiful, by the way.’

Another said: ‘The groom falling to his knees seeing you as a bride – as you see it – is a fairytale moment.’

A third commented: ‘Gosh, who cuts onions?’ A fourth added: ‘This was absolutely breathtaking. Thank you for sharing something so heartwarming.”