Disabled bride fulfils her dream after being 'humiliated' while wedding dress shopping

Amelia Peckham has opened up about planning her wedding with a disability, after she was seriously injured in an accident at the age of 19.

A woman who was involved in a horror accident as a teenager has spoken about her remarkable journey from being told she would be disabled for life to walking down the aisle at her wedding.

Amelia Peckham was just 19 when a quad biking accident resulted in her losing all sensation from the waist down. Medics told her within 24 hours that it was unlikely she would ever walk again.

After a gruelling operation and recovery period, she met her future husband and began planning her wedding. Despite difficulties with finding an accessible venue, the worst moment was being "humiliated" by staff while shopping for a dress.

Despite her ordeal, she had the last laugh and was able to fulfil her dream on her big day in September 2016, against the odds.

Amelia, now 39, told our sister title the Mirror of how the accident happened during a trip to Scotland in 2005.

She explained: "The quad bike hit a pothole and flipped. We fell down a very steep drop into a river, and I came off first and rolled. My hips got stuck, and the front of me kept going, so I literally smashed one vertebra in the middle of my back.

"But very immediately, I lost the feeling and movement from the waist down. It was instantly shocking, and within 24 hours, I was told, 'You'll be disabled for life, and what that looks like, we're not sure.' It was horrendous, and it was very clear I wouldn't walk again."

She had to stay flat on her back in hospital for 10 weeks, before being given the option to "try and operate to fix her spine with metal" so she couldn't do "any more damage" or to not go ahead with surgery as it could result in more problems.

She chose to have the operation, which, despite the high risks, was a success. She said: "It was honestly life-changing.

"There was hope that movement would come back into my legs, but it wouldn't ever go back to normal. So they were very clear that I wouldn't walk again, and if I did walk, it would be with aid, crutches, a wheelchair or a zimmer frame, they didn't know at the time."

She went on to have months of physiotherapy, and continued to "push herself" to recover. She added: "I didn't have any concept of disability at all, I didn't have a clue, but I don't know if that was a bit of a blessing looking back. It was really shocking and scary, and there isn't a lot of control over your physical health, but you have to do a lot to protect your mental health."

She remarkably was able to regain movement against the expectations of doctors. She said: "I'm really lucky, 95 per cent of the time I walk with one crutch, which again, was never expected. I essentially regained between 60 and 70 per cent of my right leg within six months of my accident."

In 2014, she met Andrew Peckham at a wedding and said he "never batted an eyelid" about her disability. He proposed two years later, but planning the big day was a time of concern and anxiety for Amelia.

She recalled: "Planning a wedding with a disability is not that fun - nothing was accessible. I also didn’t want eyes on me, I felt so exposed, and I was scared I wouldn’t be able to walk down the aisle."

She added: "We looked at a few different venue options, but the parking, walking, and steps were all either great, and the venue was then very clinical, or the venue was beautiful but impossible to navigate with a walking aid and involved plenty of walking-only access.

"I went to the church where I grew up, but it was too far to walk for me, so we had to find a smaller church with only a few steps. In the end, we had the reception in a field near my parents' house in Cornwell, Oxfordshire, with a tent, as venues didn't cater to my disability."

However, one memory of the process has stayed on her mind for the last nine years, as she explained: "Wedding dress shopping was the worst experience. One [staff member] looked me up and down when I walked in and said, 'There's nothing upstairs for you, they all have very long trains, so downstairs is the only option, is that a problem?' which was just about the worst foot to start on.

"Sadly, it only got worse as I went downstairs to find the ‘changing room’ was a screen that wasn’t fixed to the floor and there was no chair so I had to sit on the floor to try on dresses and then wobble out into a wide space with an audience of other shoppers. They also insisted I stand on a box in front of the mirror, which was logistically tricky and honestly quite humiliating.

"In that moment, I thought I’d rather get married in my pyjamas - it was the worst reminder of everything I had lost because of my disability, rather than everything I have."

She had dreamed of being able to walk down the aisle on the day, and went through a "painful" six-month fitness programme to build up strength and stability in her legs. Thankfully, she was able to fulfil her wish in front of the people who mattered most to her.

She said: "I was shaking when I got to the church, it was the first time I had everyone in one room who had been there for me after the accident. I wanted to make them proud, but didn’t want everyone to just see my injury, but to see me."

She added: "I was dreading the first dance, but when it started, I didn’t want to leave the dance floor."

Sharing her opinion on the process of planning a wedding with a disability, she said: "The wedding industry still has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to disabilities. But for planners, it’s not what they envision for the 'perfect day', and venues aren’t saying 'we’re accessible friendly'. It has changed since my wedding day, but not enough."

Since their special day, the couple have had two sons, Rufus, seven, and Ralph, five, despite medics previously telling Amelia she may not be able to carry children. She said: "Very quickly after my accident, everyone was like, 'Have you asked the doctors if you can have children?' and at the time I was like no. But now I'm a mum, I can totally see why any parent would immediately see if that's an option.

"I was told I could conceive a child, but doctors weren’t sure if I’d be able to carry or deliver a baby. But I carried both boys and had them via c-section under general anaesthetic. I went to sleep and woke up with a baby. It was hardcore and physically demanding."

Following her recovery, she has had to use a walking aid. In 2006, she co-founded Cool Crutches & Walking Sticks alongside her mum Clare, after seeing a gap in the market due to hospital-issued crutches giving her blisters.

After she got engaged, they brought out a wedding range of walking aids, which has been highly successful, with Amelia even using one on her own big day.