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A Wedding to Remember: Wheels, Smiles, and Dancing 💃

Me in my wheelchair wearing a flowing purple dress and fur shoulder trim, with my bright red hair styled up. I'm positioned between my husband Paul (sporting his magnificent red beard, floral patterned jacket, black kilt and bold red socks) and our son Connor (in a stylish blue checked suit with waistcoat and sunglasses). We're all dressed up for a wedding, posing against a red brick wall. Paul's rainbow tie and our coordinated outfits create a striking family portrait combining alternative style with wheelchair chic..
The Taylor Trio: Making accessibility look fabulous! @theaardvark

Well hello there, lovely people! Sha here, and oh my DAYS, have I got a wheely wonderful update for you! 🌟

Yesterday was an absolute belter – Abi and Will's wedding! Connor and Will have been the best of friends since nursery, and Julie and Sean (Will's parents) have always treated Connor as one of their own, and we adore Will just as much.

Will & Abi's wedding was the first of that group of friends, all the others haven't settled down yet, Connor included, but they are all grown up now; Time really does fly. It was also the first social event in ages for me, and yes, I was proper nervous. You know that feeling when you're excited but your stomach's doing more flips than an Olympic gymnast? That was me!

For the church bit, I went with my trusty manual wheelchair. Makes perfect sense really – easier to squeeze in the car (we had Connor with us too), less faff getting in and out, and I could tuck myself away discreetly during the ceremony. Always thinking about the logistics, aren't we? #WheelchairNinja

The weather was GORGEOUS! ☀️ Sun shining, perfect blue skies – Mother Nature clearly got the memo for Will's big day. Watching that lad I've known since he was knee-high getting married... I was so emotional!

Me in my wheelchair wearing a purple dress with fur trim alongside my husband Paul with his magnificent red beard. We're dressed up for a wedding, with Paul wearing a floral patterned jacket, navy waistcoat and a rainbow tie. My bright red hair matches his vibrant beard while I smile from my wheelchair.
Team Taylor: colour coordination champions!
Me sitting in a manual wheelchair outside the Garrison Church of Saint George. I'm wearing a flowing purple dress with fur trim, my bright red hair styled with a pink flower, and smiling at the camera. Above me is the church's emblem featuring the St George's Cross shield mounted on a warm brick wall.
Wheelchair accessible history tours.
Family portrait against the church wall - me in my wheelchair wearing a purple dress with my red hair, flanked by Paul with his bright red beard and floral jacket on one side, and Connor, our son, in a stylish blue suit and sunglasses on the other. We're all dressed up for a wedding, with Paul sporting bold red socks that match his beard.
Family style: wheelchair chic edition.
A wedding party of six people standing in a row - five young men in suits surrounding a bride in a white off-shoulder gown holding a bouquet. A beautiful flowering tree with pink blossoms provides the backdrop. The groom is in military dress uniform with ceremonial gold braiding and a red cap.
Our children celebrating life's milestones.

Come evening reception time, we nipped home for a quick switcheroo – out with the manual, in with the power chair!

Then it was time to properly party. And party we DID! 🎉

Had an absolute blast – drinks flowing, chattering away, making new mates, and yes... DANCING! There's something properly magical about finding your groove again after months of not being able to. Freedom, that's what it was. Pure, joyful freedom. Thanks to Will, Abi, Sean, Julie and their families for inviting us to share their special day.

I'm really knackered today, mind you, but it was worth every second. My FND and Fibro might be having words with me, but I'm not listening to them today. Some days you've just got to grab life by the wheels and roll with it! 😉

 

Does anyone else find social gatherings completely exhausting and overwhelming, but worth it? I've spent today sleeping or unable to do much cognitively and physically. I'm super lucky to have Paul and Connor to look after me.

Do you have any tips for recovering from a big day out? Let me know in the comments!

Big love to you all! ❤️

Sha x

#WheelyHappyDays #WheelchairLife #DisabledAndThriving #AccessibleWeddings #FNDWarrior #FibromyalgiaFighter #DancingOnWheels #DisabilityLifestyle #ChronicIllnessWarrior

Note: Paul helped a lot to get this post up because I've been like this most of the day: