A bride with a spinal cord injury fell in love with the first dress she tried on, and her wedding photos are stunning

Alyssa's doctor used forceps during her birth, and he broke her spine in the process.

The 29-year-old has a C1-C2 injury, which means the two vertebrae at the top of her spine are damaged.

As she shared in an Instagram post, Alyssa didn't have mobility when she was born, but she has regained movement throughout her life.

She uses an automated wheelchair, and she's connected to a ventilator through a trach tube. In the same post, Alyssa explained she can disconnect from her ventilator for short periods depending on how she feels, but she needs to use it the majority of the time.

Alyssa has worked to be independent despite her injury, and she can do things like cook, change her ventilator batteries, and dress herself.

She shares the realities of her day-to-day life on her Instagram and her blog.

"I'm speaking from what I enjoy and what I know," Alyssa told Insider of her Instagram. "I try to post a lot of content that may or may not be what people want to see, but I want to get my voice out there."

The couple met on a dating app when they were both 22.

Jimmy is not only Alyssa's husband but her primary caregiver as well.

"He's so caring and helpful and loving," she said of her husband. "He's the mushy type of guy."

She knew she would be sitting for the majority of her wedding day, so the dress needed to look good while she was seated.

"I didn't want anything too poofy because being in a wheelchair, there's just no way," she said.

A tighter dress would work best with her chair, and Alyssa was looking for a dress that accentuated her chest but didn't call too much attention to her trach tube.

Alyssa chose a Martina Liana gown from RK Bridal in New York.

The form-fitting dress features delicate head-to-toe lace, cutouts in the back, and a sweetheart neckline.

Although she ended up with the first gown she tried on, Alyssa still tried on three other dresses to make sure it was the perfect fit for her wedding day.

Because of Alyssa's injury, it can be time-consuming for her to change, and bridal-wear is notoriously difficult to take on and off anyway.

Alyssa said her friends and family helped her try on different dresses throughout the shopping process.

The biggest alteration was making the dress shorter, as Alyssa isn't very tall as a result of her injury.

"I don't really know how tall I am because of my disability," she told Insider, but she believes she's around 4-foot-7, which is much smaller than the length of the average bridal gown.

She said the dress was essentially cut in half to fit her small frame.

"Half of my dress was used to cover the back of the seat," Alyssa said.

The cover ensured the focus was on Alyssa rather than her wheelchair on her wedding day, and she was happy she could put the entire dress to use.

A long veil from Headspace added to the look.

Not only did she feel beautiful in her dress, but she also felt comfortable.

"It kept me warm, to be honest," she said of her gown, which was made from a heavy material. "I'm very cold with my spinal cord injury all the time, so it was actually really nice to have something thick."

Over 200 guests attended the summer wedding to celebrate Alyssa and Jimmy's union.

You can learn more about the venue here.

The couple posed for a first look in front of the bridal party ahead of the ceremony.

"He literally bawled his eyes out," she said of her husband.

As Alyssa wrote on Instagram, Lily suffered a spinal cord injury during her birth that is similar to Alyssa's.

Alyssa connected with Lily's dad on Instagram, and she ended up traveling to Maryland to meet Lily. The two grew close, leading Lily to serve as Alyssa and Jimmy's flower girl.

"It was the most beautiful thing ever," Alyssa said of Lily's role in her Instagram post.

Jimmy held Alyssa up during the dance, allowing them to experience that first moment like any other couple.

A fog machine added even more romance to the moment.

She thinks it's important that people know they fight just like any other couple does. But their love and respect for each other gets them through it.

"The hassle of changing can be a lot, but try on as many dresses" as you need to, she said, suggesting brides lean on their friends and family during the process as she did.

"Make sure everything is accessible and easy to get around for the venue, especially," she said.

It will ensure the wedding day is as fun and easy as possible.

"It's such a blur," she said of weddings. "It goes by so fast."

You can follow Alyssa on Instagram, and you can see more of the Ramsdens' work here.

• Read more:
• A bride who is paralyzed from the waist down matched her crutches to her wedding ensemble
• Everything you need to know before shopping for a wedding dress
• A bride tried on 13 wedding dresses before finding 2 that were perfect for her big day
• A bride tried on 8 wedding dresses before finding the one. Here are the gowns she looked at — and the one she picked.