A bride who is paralyzed from the waist down matched her crutches to her wedding ensemble

Samantha GrindellJul 20, 2020, 21:44 IST

Swati Chavda used crutches that matched her wedding ensemble.Ed Pereira

Swati Chavda was in a car accident in 2009 that left her paralyzed from the waist down.
Chavda worked to learn to walk with crutches over the past decade.
At her wedding to Joshan Thaker in February, Chavda used crutches that matched her wedding ensemble to create a cohesive look.
"It felt empowering to use something I once despised and was ashamed of in such a powerful way on the wedding day," Chavda told Insider.

Swati Chavda has been paralyzed from the waist down since 2009.

Chavda was in a car accident in 2009. Ed Pereira

Chavda spent years recovering from the accident.

Chavda walks with crutches. Ed Pereira

In 2017, Chavda met Joshan Thaker through an Indian dating website.

Chavda and Thaker have been together since 2017. Ed Pereira

The couple got engaged in February 2019 while in Goa, India, for a wedding.

They got engaged in 2019. Ed Pereira

Chavda knew crutches would be part of her wedding day look.

Chavda had to use crutches at her wedding. Ed Pereira

Chavda found pink crutches to coordinate with her wedding ensemble.

Chavda found pink crutches. Ed Pereira

Chavda said the statement crutches were "empowering."

The crutches matched her outfit. Ed Pereira

Chavda and Thaker's wedding was emotional.

Chavda's brothers walked her into the mandap. Ed Pereira

A sheet was held up to keep the couple from seeing each other as Chavda entered the mandap.

Seeing Thaker for the first time on the wedding day was emotional. Ed Pereira

"Another highlight was seeing the pride in my parents' faces as they gave away their only daughter to a guy who they thought was perfect for her and absolutely adored," Chavda said.

Her parents were emotional. Ed Pereira

"Another highlight was seeing the pride in my parents' faces as they gave away their only daughter to a guy who they thought was perfect for her and absolutely adored," Chavda said.

"One of my goals before the wedding was to be able to do our first dance together without crutches," Chavda also told Insider.

Chavda didn't use crutches during the couple's first dance. Ed Pereira

"Although I was holding onto Joshan quite tightly, I felt as though I was floating on clouds," Chavda said.

The first dance made her feel free. Ed Pereira

Chavda thinks the openness she and Thaker share in their relationship is what makes it so strong.

Communication is important in the couple's relationship. Ed Pereira

She thinks telling him about her accident early on in their relationship helped their bond grow.

Thaker supports Chavda. Ed Pereira

"Rather than focus on the problems, he uses his incredible sense of humor and makes me laugh until my stomach churns," she said of her husband.

Thaker uses humor to cheer up his wife. Ed Pereira

"After my life-changing accident in 2009, I had lost all the hope in the world of achieving anything remotely worth talking about," Chavda told Insider.

She felt hopeless after her accident. Ed Pereira

"But once I learned the power of positivity and using a progressive mindset no matter what situation I was in, I became unstoppable," she said.

Positivity has made all the difference for Chavda. Ed Pereira

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A bride who is paralyzed from the waist down matched her crutches to her wedding ensemble

Swati Chavda has been paralyzed from the waist down since 2009.

Chavda spent years recovering from the accident.

In 2017, Chavda met Joshan Thaker through an Indian dating website.

The couple got engaged in February 2019 while in Goa, India, for a wedding.

Chavda knew crutches would be part of her wedding day look.

Chavda found pink crutches to coordinate with her wedding ensemble.

Chavda said the statement crutches were "empowering."

Chavda and Thaker's wedding was emotional.

A sheet was held up to keep the couple from seeing each other as Chavda entered the mandap.

"Another highlight was seeing the pride in my parents' faces as they gave away their only daughter to a guy who they thought was perfect for her and absolutely adored," Chavda said.

"One of my goals before the wedding was to be able to do our first dance together without crutches," Chavda also told Insider.

"Although I was holding onto Joshan quite tightly, I felt as though I was floating on clouds," Chavda said.

Chavda thinks the openness she and Thaker share in their relationship is what makes it so strong.

She thinks telling him about her accident early on in their relationship helped their bond grow.

"Rather than focus on the problems, he uses his incredible sense of humor and makes me laugh until my stomach churns," she said of her husband.

"After my life-changing accident in 2009, I had lost all the hope in the world of achieving anything remotely worth talking about," Chavda told Insider.

"But once I learned the power of positivity and using a progressive mindset no matter what situation I was in, I became unstoppable," she said.