Updated June 08, 2015.

Planning an accessible wedding ceremony includes more than planning where a guest in a wheelchair will sit at the church or other wedding site. While this is an important piece of planning a wedding, a bride or groom who may also be disabled has many more things to consider when making their wedding plans. For example, if you’re dreaming of a destination wedding at an estate winery, is the site accessible everywhere?

Is the beautiful chapel at the beach accessible for everyone?

These questions may be just the tip of the iceberg when planning an accessible wedding, and not all wedding planners have experience with this type of wedding. If you are someone planning or assisting in the wedding plans, the following tips may help to ensure the event is comfortable and relaxing for everyone.

Wedding Attire

Finding the perfect wedding gown or tuxedo can be the most difficult decision someone can make for their wedding day. The outfit may set the tone for the wedding either by the color selection and style, or have personal meaning if a gown is a family heirloom.

There are several choices that can be made for a disabled bride or groom in regards to their attire. The outfit may be purchased and altered at a shop that specializes in wedding attire, a local tailor could be hired to make the outfit, or the clothing could be custom ordered from a company that specializes in making clothing for the disabled consumer.

The cost varies in each of these scenarios, and the options that may be available will vary as well.

Wedding Location

Everyone has a dream wedding location in their minds, but unfortunately, not every location may be accessible everywhere, especially if the location is a beach or a historical site. Once the list of desirable locations have been made, it is important to start vetting them in person, not just taking the word of the location’s representative over the phone or internet before making a deposit. In some instances, the location may be called “accessible” because it is possible to get through the front doors of the site and that there is a bathroom that can be accessed in a wheelchair. This doesn’t mean that all areas of the building or outdoor areas are just as accessible.

• If there are several floors to the building, is there an elevator or stair lift?
• Is there an outdoor ramp at the front of the building, we well as the back of the building if people will be entering or exiting there?
• If there are multiple rooms and bathrooms, are there braille plaques at the entrances?
• Are the bathrooms, as well as dressing rooms, wheelchair accessible?
• Is there ample handicapped parking provided at the front of the building?
• At a beach location, will there be a boardwalk or stable walkway for those using wheelchairs, walkers or canes?

Wedding Vows

Depending upon religious affiliation, each bride and groom, as well as their wedding party, are expected to do certain things during the recitation of vows. Depending upon the height of the bride and groom, it may be more comfortable for each if they sit during the vows instead of standing. The same can be done for those in the wedding party if any participants are disabled and cannot stand or kneel comfortably during the vows. The style of the chairs can range from white wicker to folding chairs with fitted chair covers. The chairs may need to be transported to the wedding location if they aren’t available at the wedding site.

Wedding Ceremony Seating

There are several ways to handle seating at the wedding ceremony for those guests that are disabled. There could be seating at the front of the church, temple or other wedding site for the disabled guest and the individuals they came with. Alternatively, the bride and groom could request that all guests remain seated, including when the bride walks down the aisle, so that guests who cannot stand can still see the wedding party walking down the aisle. Another way to handle disabled guest seating is to reserve seats for them along the aisle so that they may be able to see the ceremony easily in its entirety.

Final Thoughts

While scouting locations for your wedding ceremony, keep in mind not only the disability of anyone in the wedding party, but those of the guests as well. While there may be an individual in a wheelchair, there may be others who have a vision impairment or are using walkers, canes and service animals.