Polly and Joe’s wedding is so gorgeous and extra special because both of them have Down’s Syndrome. With the help of their family and their 200 guests, they had the most magical celebration of their dreams! They were married in May at Brewerstreet Farmhouse in Surrey.
“We met 8 years ago when we were both students at Central Sussex College and were instantly attracted to each other”, explained Polly. “We wanted to achieve a festival feel for our wedding that our guests would be excited to be going to.”
“The main things that made our wedding different are that we both have Down’s Syndrome. Also we had a unicorn throne to sit on which was the most amazing talking point of the day! We also had the Rat Pack Boys as singing waiters and they brought the house down with their antics. We had a family band in the afternoon which got the whole thing going too – everyone dancing chatting and having a good time.”
“The marquee was decorated with home made bunting, multi coloured helium balloons, a plant and flower stall, and photos of the bride & groom from birth hung by pegs. We gave /homemade jams and chutneys as wedding favours and everyone wore wedfest wristbands.”
“For our ceremony we had Vivienne, a humanist celebrant, who came to meet us at home to find out all about us. She wrote the service with our help and made it unique for us. Joe’s brother Harry was best man and made a funny speech during the service, and so did my Godfather Jonny.”
“We both love to sing and dance and we chose our favourite songs to play. Joe and his brothers walked down the red carpet to You’ve got a Friend in Me and I walked down the red carpet to When you Wish Upon a Star. Before the vows we played I do, I do, I do with our guests accompanying on kazoos! We danced to Come What May just before we exchanged rings (rings that were made out of a pair of vintage silver sugar tongs!) Our going out song when we were scattered with confetti was I’m a Believer.”
“Our favourite parts of the day were saying I do, exchanging rings and dancing to Labyrinth”, she continued. “We also love that so many people came to celebrate with us. We had nearly 200 guests!”
“My advice to other couples, especially to young adults with special needs, is to live the dream, believe in yourselves and that anything can be possible. It would be wonderful if our story could touch the lives of others struggling to cope with any kind of disability or inequality. The greatest thing is to love and be loved in return.”
