Weddings are unique events brimming with affection, happiness, humor, and cheer. It’s a day when family and friends join together to celebrate a couple’s happy union as they embark on their new life together. Without a doubt, that joyful couple should also be overjoyed to exchange vows, savoring the moment they become one.
Many young ladies see conventional bells and whistles as part of their picture-perfect wedding. Traditions, however, are not necessarily the best course of action for every couple. Before beginning a new chapter together, some couples go the additional mile to celebrate their love and what makes it unique.
Australians Elizabeth Shoesmith and Scott, who wed on January 27, 2018, were in this situation. The fact that Scott is deaf and Elizabeth is not distinguished their love, which is no less unique than that of any other couple heading down the aisle.
When Scott was only five years old, he began to lose his hearing, and by the time he was eight, he was totally deaf. While Elizabeth had her doubts about dating Scott, following their first encounter, she was willing to try and stick it out with him.
The two met on the dating app Tinder in 2016. It was a good thing she did because she and Scott were getting married 18 months later. The mother of two knew there would be difficulties, but she was unable to give up on the man she loved.
She had prepared an unexpected surprise for her soon-to-be husband on their wedding day as a way to express her sincere gratitude for him. It would not only stun guests at the wedding but also move Scott to tears.
Elizabeth made the decision to master enough Auslan or Australian Sign Language, for the big day so she could sign the lyrics to Christina Perri’s song “A Thousand Years.”
“He has never heard the words to a song before so I wanted to translate this for him. It was also the best form of communication, I knew it’d be really special to him.” Elizabeth said.
A video from the wedding showed the then-41-year-old pulling off her poignant surprise for Scott, who was then 38, and she claimed to have spent weeks trying to remember the words. Elizabeth can be seen in the video standing on the other side of the aisle from Scott. The music then started playing, and Elizabeth started signing while sporting a lovely sleeveless, belted gown.
“I didn’t know any sign language before we met,” she said why she was moved to learn to sign, adding “Before I went in, I was freaking out – not only did I want to get it right but I knew he had friends there who were also deaf, so they would know exactly what I’m saying or not be able to say. I really wanted to get it right, so there was this extra level of stress walking in.”
“I only knew the Auslan alphabet when I was seven years old. So I taught myself sign language by using the internet, off apps and videos. Every time I practiced the song, I was getting it wrong,” she noted.
Her signature, though, was flawless on the wedding day. She explained that her adolescent son escorted her into the ceremony, which briefly confused Scott.
“Scott was confused because my son left me at the end of the aisle. But as soon as I locked eyes with Scott, I was signing to him like we were the only ones in the room,” she said.
“I got lucky on the day, I didn’t make any mistakes. Everything just came naturally from my heart, and not my head,” she said of her performance.
“He cried his eyes out the whole time. I’m not a happy crier. If I broke down too, we would have been a bundle of mess. When I walked down the aisle, I gave him a kiss to reassure him everything was okay.”
“Apparently the rest of the guests did too, but I was signing to him like no one else was in the room, so I didn’t see,” no one in the room could keep a dry eye, and Elizabeth said that her new husband was especially moved, calling their wedding “the best day ever.”
Watch the video below: