By Kayrin Callaghan, 30, shares a special connection with the four adults she cares for. She knew she wanted them to be a part of her special day when her fiancé, Alex Slater-Brown, 25, a hospital care assistant, proposed earlier this year.
Callaghan has cared for Jamie Kevern, 24, who has Down syndrome, for two years and has developed a sacred bond with him ever since. She also looks after Daisy, 18; Francesca, 20; and Chloe, 26 – who also have Down syndrome. She spends her time taking them to the movies and the local swimming pool.
She asked each one of them to be her “flowermaids” during the ceremony by having them open boxes full of balloons.
All four adults were thrilled when Callaghan asked them to be a part of her special day. They were already planning a wedding shower for Callaghan when she popped the question.
“They were so happy when I asked them to be my bridesmaids – there were lots of tears,” Callaghan said. “They are so special to me, I wanted to give them the chance to walk down the aisle.”
She is also planning a special themed wedding to help the adults feel included.
“We’re going to have a Disney-inspired Halloween wedding, so they’ll get to wear princess dresses,” she said. “I want them to feel as special as they are to me.”
For Callaghan, caring for Jamie, Daisy, Francesca, and Chloe is so much more than a job. She says they all hit it off right away, and each one of them feels like family.
“I’m like their big sister,” Callaghan said. “They can come to me about their boyfriend or friendship troubles.”
They also know how to bust a move, which will come in handy at the wedding.
“They are ferocious dancers.”
“We always get cheesy chips together after swimming.”
Callaghan said she knew right away that she wanted them to be involved with the ceremony after her fiancé proposed.
“I had to plan a good way to ask them – so I decided to get some balloons which had the words ‘Will you be my flowermaids?’ on them.”
It was a special moment they will never forget.
“They opened the boxes, and Francesca, who is the best at reading, read what it said aloud to everyone. Their reaction was amazing, and we had lots of tears,” Callaghan recounted. “Then they started twerking – which they love to do.”
They even captured the scene on video and posted it to TikTok.
“I posted it on Tiktok for the mums to see, and it went viral,” Callaghan said. “I remember my partner said it got 1,000 and I thought that was amazing. Then Jamie’s brother messaged to say it was over 25,000, and it keeps going up. It’s crazy.”
The wedding is set for October 2023 with a Nightmare Before Christmas Disney-inspired theme.
“There isn’t going to be a color scheme as Jamie always loves to wear rainbow colors,” she said.
“They can all wear what they want and dress up in Disney princess dresses.”
It’s sure to be a wedding unlike any other.
“We’ll have Mickey Mouse pumpkins on the tables,” Callaghan said with enthusiasm. “They are all planning them now – I think there’ll be lots of WKD [mixed drink] involved as Jamie loves that drink.”
But Callaghan is most excited to share the experience with her four pals. “I just can’t wait to see their faces on my big day.”
