Groom Surprises Bride By Having Her Students With Down Syndrome Show Up As Ring Bearers

One of the most significant days of your life is your wedding, and having the people you love most there to celebrate it makes it perfect.

Speech therapist Cntia Bonfante Pereira from Caxias do Sul, Brazil, works with kids who have Down syndrome-related speech impairments.

She has a special place in her heart for her patients, so the groom José Vitor Flach created a lovely method for them to be included on their wedding day in March 2020.

When it was time to present the rings, the couple was standing at the altar when all of a sudden, numerous of her students started to enter the church through the entrances!

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An older child, one of the ring bearers, was leading the charming procession while holding the hand of a young girl.

Flower girls wearing adorable dresses trailed them. Even the younger guys, two of them, arrived in style in their little electric car.

Cntia cried happy tears when seeing the seven special guests, who were all decked out in their finest wedding apparel. 

She shows such pride in the kids and is overjoyed that they are around to share her special day with her.

When the ring bearers and flower girls arrived at the altar, Cntia and José halted to say hello to each person. 

With a clear expression of love and admiration, the bride softly stroked their young faces.

Actually, Cntia had intended to rehearse with the children on her big day. She begged the priest for permission, but he refused her plea.

“In reality, my husband had asked him to say that because he had already planned it with the priest,” she explained.

Cntia cited her favorite wedding moments as being her groom's surprise.

“I love my profession so much and having the opportunity to have some of the children with us on this day was inexplicable,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

“The emotion overcame me in a way that I thought my heart would not be able to handle!”

For years, Cntia has worked with youngsters to help them develop their language and communication abilities. They are no longer just patients to her; they are now part of the family.

“I truly love what I do and I am lucky to be able to help them have a better quality of life,” she said. “I believe that every person has potential. We need to look at them beyond their disabilities so then we can help them surpass the barriers they have in life.”

The speech therapist is a strong supporter of inclusivity, as seen by her decision to work with a Down syndrome wedding photographer. Joo Vicente expertly caught the memorable moments of the day.

“I always raise the banner of school and social inclusion and that’s why I had invited João, who is a photographer, because I had seen his work and really liked the photos and the way he transformed the details of our daily lives into photos,” Cíntia wrote.

“Beautiful! I think that in order for people to show their skills we need to give them the opportunity to do so.”

“That’s why having João Vicente as our photographer, in addition to being an honor to be photographed by him, was my way of showing that there are no limits when we don’t define people just by their diagnosis!”

“It was beautiful, wonderful, better than I ever imagined and we still contributed to a more inclusive society. There is no greater happiness than that”, she concluded.

The fact that her students served as ring bearers added a particular touch to an already memorable wedding day.