My Husband is Legally Blind. Here’s How That Changed How We Planned Our Wedding
"Lighting and color play a major role in what he can actually see. He knew exactly how he wanted the lighting to be so he could enjoy our big day."
William M. Photography
Here at Philadelphia Wedding, we’re sharing “Real Talk” wedding planning stories — tales from real Philadelphians on the unique ways they planned their weddings. Up today: Brandon Moore, 34, and Robin Marie Milhouse-Moore (34) who live in Germantown. Robin, a nurse at Temple University, shares how they went about the planning process with special considerations for Brandon, who lost his vision in 2015 due to Type 2 diabetes. They wed on July 12, 2019 at the Tendenza by Cescaphe in Northern Liberties, with photography by William M. Photography and videography by Kadeem McClary. Read all about their love story and planning process below, in Robin’s words.
Do you have a modern, unique, or just plain emotional wedding planning story of your own that would be perfect for Real Talk? We want to hear it!
Courtesy of the couple
Courtesy of the couple
Courtesy of the couple
How We Met : “Brandon and I met on a dating site back in 2012. I sent him a message, he responded and the rest is history. When we first met, we couldn’t help but think that we had met each other before in the past, or in another lifetime. We instantly clicked, like best friends reunited. It was pretty amazing. It made us really believe in soul mates and love at first sight. We’ve been together seven years, and we got engaged in Paris on September 16th, 2017.”
The hardest thing we’ve overcome is: “Brandon lost his vision in 2015. He has had Diabetes since the age of two, and lost his vision to it. It was by far one of the hardest thing for me personally. I can remember crying at night or while in the shower to hide my emotions from him. I hid them because Brandon has always been — and is still is — the strongest person I know. He has never questioned why, he has just adapted and has not let his vision loss stop him. I would hide my emotions in fear of bringing him down.
It was definitely a life-changing experience but we never gave up on each other and came out strong. Most people don’t even believe us when we tell them he is legally blind — he moves with so much confidence; he cooks; he cleans; he is my king and my motivation to never give up. Brandon does not know this, but him losing his vision has motivated me to never complain about the little things, and has made my love for him so much more stronger. This man is amazing!”
Courtesy of the couple
Courtesy of the couple
William M. Photography
William M. Photography
How we planned the lighting and colors: “Brandon played a major role in our wedding planning, especially with the décor and lighting. Brandon is legally blind, so he has some vision, but lighting and colors play a major role in what he can actually see. He knew exactly how he wanted the lighting in the room (not too bright and not too dim) in order for him to enjoy our big day.
The lighting “pinpointing,” which directed lights from the ceiling on important areas in the venue, like the sweetheart table, was perfect. This technique nicely highlighted those areas of the wedding, and also played a major role in assisting Brandon with his limited vision. He also assisted with choosing the linen colors with Cescaphe, since different contrasts in color increase his ability to see. Our florist and decorator was Beautiful Blooms Events. What I really loved was the fact that everything we discussed and visualized came to life on the day our wedding.”
How we designed the cake: “We both designed our wedding cake which was also an array of contrasting colors put together that created a better image for Brandon to view. Cescaphe was so helpful and created a mock cake on the computer, which was awesome to see on the big screen during planning. Placing that creation on the big screen made it easier for Brandon’s viewing, and then to see that same computerized creation in real life cake form was just breathtaking!”
Our favorite part of the wedding was: “The dancing! Our groomsman and bridesmaid reception entrance was a dance-off which we loved. I am a dancer and love music so to have Brandon, someone who does not particularly like to dance, dance with me on the dance floor was great! I dedicated a song to Brandon and my son, and it was just beautiful. The Bridesmaid entered the reception to a mix of ‘ole school’ hip-hop, the groomsmen entered to Beyonce’s “Put a Ring on It” and Brandon and I danced our first dance to “You and I” by John Legend. I also dedicated India Arie’s song “The Truth” to Brandon during our first dance.”
William M. Photography
The best thing about the day: “On that day, I married my soul mate. Through the years, we have become nothing but a more stronger and God-fearing couple who enjoy each other’s presence. I love this man with my whole heart and he has shown not only me, but also our son, what pure love is.”
This story has been edited for clarity and length.
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