'1000 years' Wedding Dress

My name is Elizabeth Shoesmith and a few weeks ago I married a wonderful man, Scott, who happens to be profoundly deaf. Before I walked down the aisle at our wedding ceremony, to honour my husband, I signed the words to the song '1000 years'.

The next day one of my friends sent me the video she took on her phone, and because we had a very small wedding I posted the video on Facebook page to share with other friends. Little did I realise at the time, but I somehow set the video privacy settings to public. By the end of the day we had 10,000 views and we thought that was crazy, yet we have now reached over 2 million views! You can view the video here 

I am also the CEO of The Inclusive Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation with the mission of creating a world where everyone is included, prompting social change, advocacy and empowerment. I started the organisation after witnessing how my husband, Scott, was treated as a deaf man.

In simple terms, I want to be rid of all the labels and lift the conversation and social change up a level. It should not be a solo fight for disability, LGBTI, gender, age, ethnicity or religious inclusion. We need to simply create a world where everyone is included.

While not the original intent of my ceremony entrance, we would like to use this unexpected attention to raise awareness and funds for The Inclusive Foundation and the importance of creating a world where everyone is included.

So my wedding dress is now up for auction with the money raised being donated to The Inclusive Foundation.

The dress....

• Strapless trumpet silhouette gown, features hand embellished crystal motif on neckline.
• fabrication: all over sequin embellished mesh lace. Fully lined with back zipper closure.
• Colour: white/ nude
• Size 6AU (2US)
• Belt: custom made handcrafted  3cm wide copper metal belt with crystal motif. Adjustable closure at back. 

The auction winner will receive the dress and belt. Postage/courier costs will be added to the final winning bid.

News.com.au wrote a bit about our story... 

Bride surprises groom with touching gesture on wedding day
Lisa Mayoh
JANUARY 31, 2018

WHEN Elizabeth walked down the aisle signing words of love to her deaf husband-to-be Scott Shoesmith, she felt like they were the only two people in the room.

He burst into tears at the gesture — a touching moment that has now been viewed more than 417,000 times since being posted on social media just three days ago. Their once private, now viral, wedding video, has touched the hearts of people everywhere — and speaks volumes about the importance of inclusivity, respect and communication.

“It was a complete surprise for him and everyone else in the room,” the 41-year-old newlywed told news.com.au.

Ms Shoesmith began to teach herself Auslan (Australian Sign Language) after meeting Scott, who has been deaf since childhood.

“Every time I had practised it leading up to the day I would make mistakes or go blank — but when my son left me at the top of the aisle, I locked eyes with Scott and didn’t look away.

“I honestly felt like we were the only ones in the room.

“The moment I began signing the words to the song he burst into tears — apparently the rest of the guests did too, but because I was focused on Scott I had no idea.”

While signing the words to love song 1000 Years by Christina Perri, Ms Shoesmith walked “one step closer” to the love of her life. And while the couple hadn’t intended for their private moment to be so public, they couldn’t be prouder of the message it sends, and the positive reactions that have been prompted by it.

“I have received so many private messages from people around the world telling me how the video impacted them,” Ms Shoesmith, from Caringbah in Sydney’s south, said.

“My favourites have been from parents of children with disabilities, saying I have given them hope that one day they will find love.

“They are even sending me photos of their beautiful children.”

The couple met on Tinder two years ago and got married on Saturday at The Spit in Sydney’s north.

“It was the best ‘swipe right’ of our lives,” she laughed.

“While I had taught myself the Auslan alphabet off Cartoon Connection when I was seven years old, I have never had an opportunity or reason to use it.

“But I knew nothing more — so I am completely self-taught since meeting Scott.”

Scott, 38, didn’t lose his hearing until he was eight-years-old and with extension speech therapy, can speak exceptionally well, and owns and runs fitness centre F45 at Ballina, where he proposed to his bride.


“I did some research and found that on average (most deaf people) only comprehend about 60 per cent of what is being said with lip reading, so learning Auslan has been really important.

“Not enough people know it — we should be teaching Auslan as a language in all schools … it’s an Australian language.

“One of my goals in this lifetime is to have Auslan officially added to the primary and high school curriculum.

“We just want inclusion of everyone — to look past differences and see beauty in everything and everyone.”

Ms Shoesmith is CEO of the Inclusive Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation with the mission of creating a world where everyone is included, prompting social change, advocacy and empowerment. She started the organisation after witnessing how Scott was treated as a deaf man.

“In simple terms, I want to be rid of all the labels and lift the conversation and social change up a level,” she said.

“It should not be a solo fight for disability, LGBTI, gender, age, ethnicity or religion inclusion.

“We need to simply create a world where everyone is included.”

She said the couple was standing in line at Bluesfest when a stranger approached them and asked why a deaf person would bother coming to a music festival.

“Scott just brushed it off, which I now realise is because this is the kind of judgment he faces every day,” she said.

“But I couldn’t bite my tongue.

“I told the man: ‘Scott will likely feel the music here more than most. He has taught me to not just hear the music but to feel it. He has also shown me how to see the music through watching the musicians — every strum of the guitar, every strike on the drums. Music isn’t just what you hear. He has taught me to feel and see the music too.’”