Bride picks special wedding dress to surprise blind groom—when he touches it, he bursts into tears
Some love stories are built on thoughtful gestures, and small moments of care that turn into something much bigger. For Kelly Anne Ferraro, one of those moments happened on her first date with Anthony Ferraro—a wrestler, judo athlete, and Paralympic hopeful who is blind. On their wedding, she wanted to make sure Anthony could "see" her wedding dress too, so she had one made of different textures. It all started in 2017 when Kelly met Anthony at the Jersey Shore through mutual friends. She knew he was blind, but she was surprised by how independent he was, as reported by CBS News.
"Anthony didn't have a cane or anything and no one was guiding him around," Kelly told CBS News. Anthony remembered that moment vividly. He said, "Kelly grabbed onto me and was helping me the rest of the day. I was like, 'This girl's amazing.'" A month later, Anthony invited Kelly to a documentary premiere about his high school wrestling career. Kelly wanted to make the night special. "She's like, 'Well, he can't see me, so I have to wear something that feels nice.' And no one's ever thought to do that, like ever," Anthony said. Kelly’s sister teased her about the idea.
She said, "I was like, 'I'm going to wear a velvet dress so he can feel it,' and she was like, 'That is so corny, he's not going to feel your dress just because he's blind.'" But she trusted her instincts. "And it ended up being something that was so important to him." After that first date, Kelly and Anthony became inseparable. She traveled with him for his judo tournaments, experiencing the world alongside him. "She would describe these landscapes to me, visually, where it would paint these pictures in my head. And she literally became my eyes for the world." After four years together, the couple planned a wedding in Maine. Kelly knew she wanted to do something special for Anthony again.
She said, "I really want something that's a whole experience for Anthony." She found a Brooklyn-based bridal shop that specialized in sustainable fabrics, and after some searching, she tried on a dress with velvet tassels, embossed flowers, and several different textures. "When I looked up, I started crying," Kelly said. "This is the dress I dreamed about." Wanting to add one more sensory element for Anthony, she also chose a jacket with long velvet tassels. "That was the real kicker. It was velvet, just like our first date," Anthony said. When Kelly met Anthony at the altar, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
"My mind was blown. I started crying. And it was just like—I was able to see Kelly. That was the best part, I was able to feel her dress," he said. Anthony took in every detail, running his hands over the different textures. He also said, "When I was feeling the dress, it was just creating this image of an angel in my brain, it was just beautiful." Kelly made sure every part of their wedding was thoughtfully designed for Anthony, including ensuring the venue was fully accessible. Anthony shared, "To put yourself in other people's shoes, I think really helps. But understanding everyone in life is different and going that extra step to just think about that other person and try to put yourself in their experiences."