Every couple wants a wedding day to remember.
And so bride Elizabeth Shoesmith wanted to bring the meaning of her love to life by signing the lyrics of a song for her deaf husband Scott, 38.
The couple, from Sydney, tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony on Saturday in front of 45 guests.
As she stood at the opposite end of the aisle, the 41-year-old woman started signing the words to the love song 1000 Years by Christina Perri.
Bride Elizabeth Shoesmith (pictured) wanted to bring the meaning of her love to life by signing the lyrics of a song for her deaf husband
Groom Scott Shoesmith was brought to tears as he watched his stunning bride sign a song
Standing at the alter, the groom was brought to tears as his beautiful bride surprised him with the touching gesture.
‘He has never heard the words to a song before so I wanted to translate this for him,’ Mrs Shoesmith told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It was also the best form of communication, I knew it’d be really special to him.’
The mother, who has a 16-year-old son, said she taught herself to sign the lyrics over the months leading up to their wedding day.
‘I didn’t know any sign language before we met,’ she said.
‘Before I went in, I was freaking out – not only did I want to get it right but I knew he had friends there who were also deaf, so they would know exactly what I’m saying or not be able to say.
‘I really wanted to get it right, so there was this extra level of stress walking in.’
The couple tied the knot in an intimate wedding ceremony on Saturday in front of 45 guests
As she serenaded her husband in sign language, Scott was overcome with emotions
For three months, she began scouring the internet to teach herself Auslan [Australian Sign Language].
‘I only knew the Auslan alphabet when I was seven years old. So I taught myself sign language by using the internet, off apps and videos.
‘Every time I practiced the song, I was getting it wrong.’
And on the day of their wedding, Mrs Shoesmith’s teenage son walked her into the ceremony where her groom waited for her at the alter.
‘Scott was confused because my son left me at the end of the aisle,’ she recalled.
‘But as soon as I locked eyes with Scott, I was signing to him like we were the only ones in the room.
‘I got lucky on the day, I didn’t make any mistakes. Everything just came naturally from my heart, and not my head.’
The bride taught herself how to sign words to the song in the months leading up to wedding
The pair, who were together for 18 months before engagement, met on Tinder two years ago
As she serenaded her husband in sign language, Scott was overcome with emotions as tears uncontrollably rolled down his cheeks.
‘He cried his eyes out the whole time,’ she said.
‘I’m not a happy crier. If I broke down too, we would have been a bundle of mess. When I walked down the aisle, I gave him a kiss to reassure him everything was okay.
‘It was the best day ever.’
After sharing the video of Mrs Shoesmith signing the song at her wedding, the post has since attracted more than 700,000 views.
The couple – who were together for 18 months before getting engaged – met on popular dating app Tinder two years ago.
‘I didn’t know he was deaf,’ she said about the first moment they ‘swiped right’ on each other.
‘I did some research on him before our date, like any woman would and found out he was playing for the Australian Deaf Wallabies.
‘Throughout the day, I started to panic, I was wondering if he was profoundly deaf. But then I told myself to stop being judgemental and go on the date.
‘And it was great, we had an immediate connection.’
The couple will be travelling to Fiji for their honeymoon after tying the knot over the weekend
Like any relationship, Mrs Shoesmith said there’s always going to be challenges.
‘There’s going to be challenges in terms of communication and how we work together,’ she said.
‘I can’t run out of toilet paper and call out to him,’ she said, laughing about the joke, adding: ‘I can’t pick up the phone and call him.
‘I would have to FaceTime him or send text messages. I learned how to sign language because his lip reading only catches 60 per cent.
‘These are the challenges but on the flip side, communication is heighten because when we’re communicating, we’re looking into each other’s eyes.
‘I know I’m being heard. He actually had the words “I see you” engraved in my ring. He makes me feel seen and heard.’
The couple are travelling to Fiji on Friday for their honeymoon.
Mrs Shoesmith is the CEO of Inclusive Foundation – a not-for-profit organisation with the mission of creating a world where everyone is included.
She said she strongly believes that all humans deserve to be treated with respect and kindness, and that inclusiveness is so much more than diversity.