Jaquie Goncher is a bride who made her wedding day unforgettable. She was paralyzed from the neck down when she was 17 years old, after a swimming accident that injured her spinal cord. The doctors said she would never walk again, but she proved them wrong. Six months after the accident, she was able to stand up. However, she still needed a wheelchair for most of the time.
Before the accident, Jaquie was an athlete, and she really missed her workouts. She shared in an interview with Cosmopolitan that going to the gym would sometimes lead to frustration and tears. It felt like a struggle, and she had moments of self-hate. However, Jaquie didn’t throw in the towel. She held onto a dream—to walk and dance on her wedding day. For an entire year, she dedicated herself to making that dream come true.
And she did it! On her big day, she amazed everyone by rising from her wheelchair and strolling down the aisle. With her mom and grandfather by her side, she stood tall throughout the entire ceremony and even hit the dance floor at the reception. Rocking a beautiful dress and green hair, she looked stunning. The photos captured by Love Stories By Us tell a tale of pure joy and love on her face and her groom’s face. He’s definitely a lucky guy to have such a strong and beautiful wife. We’re thrilled for them, and we wish them a lifetime filled with happiness!
At the age of 17 Jaquie Goncher suffered a swimming accident, which left her paralyzed from the neck down
Doctors claimed that she would never walk again
The first years of therapy were extremely hard for Jaquie. Being an athlete her whole life she was having a hard time realizing she couldn’t do even the smallest of exercises
“The first time I decided to go back to the gym, I got on a stationary bike. My legs wouldn’t be able to push it fast enough and the machine would turn off,” said Jaquie
“I got so upset that I put my head down on the machine and I just started to cry”
It took her a long time to find the strength and the incentive she needed to go back to the gym
“On your wedding day, everybody’s looking at you, so you want to feel the most beautiful. I totally believe you can be bomb in a wheelchair, but I didn’t want to be defined by that”
When Jaquie approached the ceremony with her mom and grandfather on each side, no one was surprised to see her in a wheelchair
But soon all the guests were stunned when she stood up and started walking down the aisle 8 years after the accident
Although the groom Andy Goncher already knew about the surprise, he could not hold back his tears
Almost everyone was crying, it was such an emotional moment
Only one year ago Jaquie could not be on her feet for more than 30 minutes because of her low blood pressure
Now she was able to stand through her whole 45 min wedding ceremony and for the most part of her 5 hour long reception
The couple literally had their first dance as they have never danced together before
Jaquie relied on her husband during the wedding: “He was my cane, because I would hold on to him the entire time”
The bride’s mom made sure to capture her daughter dancing again, so as a gift she hired a professional artist Kuhn to paint the heartwarming scene in watercolor
Jaquie looked radiant in her blush gown and mermaid green hair
“It’s been really emotional. Sometimes I don’t realize how miraculous it is that I am walking”
Jaquie aims to continue working as much as before the wedding, so she would be able to live without a wheelchair once more
