Disabled Woman Praises a UK Bridal Store For Its Rare Window Display

Shopping for a wedding dress is one of the most exciting things a bride gets to do leading up to her big day. There’s no shortage of options, and while styles change from year to year, there are always many beautiful options for every bride.

Most bridal stores feature dresses in the window to lure the bride-to-be inside. These dresses are often displayed on mannequins to show onlookers just how gorgeous the dresses really are.

You may not have considered that the mannequins in store windows are usually standing up. This may not have even crossed your mind since it’s so common. While this tactic does make sense from the standpoint that you can see the full dress easily the way it would be worn walking down the aisle, it excludes a certain portion of the population.

For a bride who is disabled and who uses a wheelchair, the standing mannequin does not accurately represent what she would look like walking down the aisle.

Beth Wilson, who lives in the UK, was passing a bridal shop in Portishead, Bristol called The White Collection Bridal Boutique when something in the shop window caught her eye. There was something different about the window display.

Wilson, who is disabled, couldn’t help but notice and appreciate that one of the mannequins was in a wheelchair. Not only was the mannequin wearing a stunning wedding dress, but the wheelchair itself was also beautifully decorated with greenery, showing it off instead of trying to hide it.

Wilson had never seen a window display like this before, so she snapped a picture and shared it on Twitter where she also wrote, “The new wedding shop in town has a wheelchair using mannequin and it shouldn’t be exciting but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen disability portrayed in a shop window.”

Wilson’s tweet has over 6000 retweets, and commenters are just as excited about the window display as she is. Some of the commenters have even shared wedding photos where they are wearing a wedding dress while sitting in a wheelchair.

One commenter wrote, “Have to say, that dress looks fabulous with the chair, good to see them showcase how important it is that they make sure dresses look great for every client.”

Another commenter shared, “This is fab! If only more bridal shops showed this level of inclusivity.”

Have you ever seen a mannequin sitting in a wheelchair before? Do you think more stores should show disability in their window displays?