Bride Wears Tactile Wedding Dress For Blind Groom: ‘It Creates An Image Of What You Look Like In My Head’

Kelly Anne Ferraro wanted a wedding dress that she not only felt good in but also one that her now-husband, who is blind, could appreciate.

During an outdoor wedding in Maine on Oct. 2 Kelly wore a stunning dress that incorporated lots of small details as well as different textures so her husband-to-be, who is blind, could feel how she looked. During the ceremony, she called out to her groom, Anthony Ferraro, “I’m coming! I’m coming!” as his best man and brother described how she looked in the dress as she made her way down the aisle.

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Ferraro, who is a Paralympian in judo, musician and motivational speaker, said he was overcome with emotion as Kelly met him at the altar in her stunning wedding dress.

“Once she gets to me, she puts (my) hands on (her) dress. My mind was blown and I started crying,” he told TMRW. “Tactile stuff is really big to me. It creates an image of what you look like in my head. Kelly looked like an angel.”

Kelly recalled how she tried on a few gowns at Loulette Bride in Brooklyn, New York, before she found one that was perfect.

“It had a velvet strip around it and these lace things. Embroidered flowers from a soft cotton. Her back even had a texture. To top it all off, she surprised me with this amazing custom jacket she put on later and had this crazy fringe hanging off her arms,” he said. “It reminded me of our first date.”

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The pair met on a New Jersey beach in 2017 where they were joined by Kelly’s sister, who was dating and is now married to Anthony’s best friend. Kelly had just gotten back from a trip to Thailand and Anthony had returned from judo training in Tokyo.

“I had heard a lot about Anthony through my sister when they mentioned their blind friend. I met him and didn’t really know how blind he was and thought, ‘This guy doesn’t look blind, whatever blind looks like,'” she said. “There’s this stereotype that is in your mind. He looked like everyone else and was walking around.”

And while Anthony has techniques for moving around, including walking near people and finding shadows during the daytime, he said he often didn’t use his cane in his hometown because he would “try not to be blind.” But he said Kelly made him feel instantly comfortable.

“I was like who is this? I felt a connection. She spoke her mind, too, and was very direct,” he said.