Planning A Wedding With Accessibility | Ability Superstore

Planning A Wedding With Accessibility | Ability Superstore

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We have a very important guest post to share with you today from mobility and aid providers Ability Superstore . They are sharing their expert tips on accessibility at weddings, a factor that is often unintentionally overlooked when planning a wedding from all sides of the industry. Whether you have accessibility requirements yourself or you have guests who would benefit from disabled access, this post covers the important factors you should consider when planning your wedding.

There's no greater time than getting stuck into your wedding plans. Whether it's setting a date or discovering your dream venue, even trying your dress on for the very first time, there's so much to do to make your special day absolutely perfect.

Sometimes amongst all the excitement, the accessibility of your wedding can be forgotten, especially if you don't require any additional accessibility yourself. With the multitude of family, friends and plus ones that are bound to attend, chances are an accessible wedding will be extremely helpful for at least one member of the wedding party. Or perhaps you yourself have accessibility requirements and have concerns about missing something important out. Either way, it's well worth considering your wedding's accessibility, to make the day run as smoothly as possible.

If you're ready to begin your wedding plans, bear these tips in mind from mobility aid providers, Ability Superstore , to cover all aspect of accessibility on the biggest day of your life.

By the time you begin sending out wedding invitations, chances are you have already arranged your venue. This could prove tricky to make changes to, if you then discover that some of your guest have mobility aids to bear in mind.

Instead, why not send out some save the date cards to your nearest and dearest, letting them know you're going to be tying the knot? You can use this as an opportunity to find out if they or their potential plus ones, will require any additional accessibility on your special day. Simply ask them to send the card back with details of anything they might need.

From the ceremony to the reception, all the way through to the overnight accommodation, it's likely that your wedding day will be hosted throughout a number of different venues. As such, make sure you check out each of the venue's accessibility in advance.

More traditional venues may not have the same accessibility as more modern buildings, but that shouldn't make you discount the quaint chapel from your plans, before you know for sure. When you find the venue of your dreams, get in touch with the owner or manager to discuss accessibility for those in a wheelchair or with a walking stick, for example.

It's well worth booking a viewing for each venue, where you can really begin picturing your special day where it will all be taking place. Not only that, but it gives the hosts the opportunity to show you how they can cater for those with mobility aids.

Don't forget the hen and stag parties, too! You'll want to enjoy the last night of freedom with as few concerns as possible. Try to find some venues or activities to do that will make it as fun a day or night as possible, without the worry that you or one of your hens (or your groom-to-be's stags) won't be able to join you for the celebrations. Always head over to the venue to look around beforehand, as some managers might sneakily try to win your booking by claiming they are accessibility-friendly when they aren't.

Will there be a distance from the ceremony's venue to the reception? What about from the day's events to the overnight accommodation? Making sure there's plenty of transport available between the two will make you and your guests' day much more enjoyable, without having to worry about how they will get from one to the other.

Book a local taxi service in advance, to make sure you have transportation for your guests on the day. It can be a real pain when your guests have to wait around because the taxis are busy on the day.

It's the little personal touches that can really bring your wedding day together and make it perfect. If you or members of your bridal party, for example, are planning on using mobility aids for support throughout the day, you could look to adding a touch of luxury to them, to truly make your day sensational.

How about getting in touch with a specialist wedding dress designer, who cater for brides or bridesmaids in wheelchairs? They can create stunning dresses that perfectly meet your needs, so you don't have to worry about going all out on your outfit!

The same can be said for bride or bridesmaids bouquets. It can be a little tricky to carry a bouquet of flowers down the aisle, at the same time as using a mobility aid, so why not make some alterations to your floral accessory, to add to the accessibility of your wedding? Many choose to use corsages that can be worn on the wrist, leaving your hands completely free.

How about tailoring any wheelchairs, walking sticks or ramps to fit in with your wedding theme and to add that extra bit of glamour to your wedding day? You'll find an abundance of photographs from couples who have decorated their mobility aids especially for their wedding day. From floral additions to a walking stick or ramp, to a "just married sign" or colourful streamers on the back of the wheelchair, there's so much you can do to personalise mobility aids ready for the special day.

These are just a few of the ways in which to add some accessibility to your wedding and to tailor it to fit in with your wedding. Although it can add another task to your to-do list, it's well worth doing, to make both the two of you and your guests as comfortable and as happy as possible on your wedding day.

Images Credits: Fearless Photographers; Love Stories; Eric Vest Photography; Amber Henry Photography; Lillian and Leonard

This has been a guest post by Ability Superstore.

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