Groom with cerebral palsy moved to tears seeing bride on wedding

LONDON: Whether you’re dreading having to face distant relatives or petrified you might spill wine on the bride’s gown, weddings are nothing if not a cocktail of emotions - particularly when you’re the one getting married.

Justin Boisvert, who was born with cerebral palsy and has used a wheelchair for most of his life, was overcome with emotion on his wedding day, bursting into tears upon seeing his bride, Sabrina Raposo, in her wedding gown for the first time. The pair met online in 2007 and Boisvert initially had reservations about revealing his condition to Raposo.

“In my photos, you can’t really tell and because we met online I was really nervous about telling her,” the 30-year-old gym membership manager said.

“I thought she might be shocked or not want to go on the date anymore. “But she was so down to earth and she accepted it with an open mind. The rest is history.”

Raposo, who works as an administrative clerk, added that they initially bonded over their support of rival ice hockey teams.

She confessed to being “a little caught off guard” when Boisvert revealed he was in a wheelchair but that this didn’t deter her from pursuing him romantically.

“I didn’t want to say no, I didn’t want to be that person,” she said.

“And at the end of the day he was still human and a guy who I seemed to have a connection with.”

The happy couple tied the knot in April with 150 guests in attendance.