See the Emotional Moment Groom Marries the Woman He Once Feared Wouldn't Date Him As He Has Cerebral Palsy
A groom became overwhelmed with love and emotion when he was his bride walking down the aisle on their wedding day in April.
Justin Boisvert, 30, was born with cerebral palsy and has used a wheelchair to get around for most of his life. When he first met Sabrina Raposo, 27, over the internet, the two quickly bonded over their love of sports — even if Raposo is a Montreal Canadians fan and Boisvert follows their rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. But as their friendship grew online, Boisvert didn’t post any photos or say anything that revealed his disability to Raposo.
“Before I met Sabrina I always worried about telling girls I was in a wheelchair,” Boisvert, Hamilton, Ontario, told SWNS. “In my photos, you can’t really tell and because we met online I was really nervous about telling her… I thought she might be shocked or not want to go on the date anymore.”
But over time, Boisvert worked up the courage to overcome his fears and tell his crush what he had hidden from her—turns out, it went better than what he expected.
“When first he told me he was in a wheelchair, I was a little bit caught off guard,” Raposo admits. “I didn’t want to say no, I didn’t want to be that person, and at the end of the day he was still human and a guy who I seemed to have a connection with.”
Her acceptance meant the world to Boisvert.
“She was so down to earth and she accepted it with an open mind,” he said. “The rest is history.”
Cerebral palsy is the most common motor disability in children and is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the brain as its developing, permanently affecting the child’s ability to control their muscles, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Children with the disorder usually show a variety of symptoms, including weakness in one arm or leg, a crouched gait, having muscles that are too stiff or floppy, and excessive drooling, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders. Cerebral palsy affects about three children in every 1,000 births, and has no cure.
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With everything out in the open, the duo began dating, though Raposo says it wasn’t easy for everyone else, at first.
“When we started dating it was hard for my family and friends to understand why,” she told SWNS. “But they soon grew to realize Justin was just like everyone else.”
More than a decade since crossing paths, the duo tied the knot during an April ceremony in front of 150 guests—and as a collection of stunning photographs show, Boisvert was overwhelmed with tears of happiness as he watched his bride walk down the aisle.
“I’m not an emotional guy, in fact, I’m quite the opposite,” Boisvert told SWNS. “When I saw Sabrina walking down the aisle, I couldn’t help myself… She caught me off guard. She took my breath away.”
But as he let the waterworks flow, Raposo says she had to fight back tears of her own!
“Seeing him cry, I was doing my best to hold myself together,” she says. “But it was really nice to see him so emotional.”
Then, as husband and wife after long last, the couple partied the night away.
“Our wedding was such a special day,” Boisvert said. “Although it was an emotional service, the reception was a lot of fun… We just spent the day having a blast with our family and friends.”
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Soon after their wedding, the couple went on vacation to Mexico, where they spent much of their time near Cancun.
“We snorkeled and swam with dolphins,” Boisvert added. “It was paradise.”
