My whole life, the world had looked muted. Then, on a very special day, I saw everything in glorious technicolour for the first time. By Kristin Robinson, 25
Holding up two tops, I summed and ahhed about which one to pair with my jeans for my date.
I scrolled through my phone to see if there were any photos of me wearing them before, but drew a blank.
So, just like I did most mornings, I FaceTimed my mum and asked her.
‘Go for the pink, love,’ she said. ‘It’s the one on the right.’
‘Thanks, Mum. What would I do without you?’ I replied.
Since birth, I’d had red-green colour blindness, which meant I couldn’t distinguish between certain colours. It also affected browns, pinks and purples.
The world looked more muted to me than those with normal vision, making daily tasks such as matching clothes and cooking food, more difficult.
I wish I could see the world like everybody else for once,
I thought as I said goodbye to Mum.
Although I didn’t see my vision as something negative, I’d always dreamt of seeing the colours I was missing.
Now, with my outfit sorted, the first-date jitters kicked in.
I’d met Nick through uni and we were going for coffee.
But once I arrived at the café, I realised I had nothing to worry about.
I’d always been open about being colour-blind, and I told Nick as a sort of ice-breaker.
Pointing at the menu and the chair, he started asking what colour the things around us were.
‘How about my eyes?’
he asked.
Gazing into them, I thought they looked like the sky.
‘Blue,’ I replied.
Nick laughed and said: ‘They’re green!’
I knew in that instant I’d do anything to see them one day.
Four hours later we said goodbye, and I drove home feeling elated with how the date had turned out.
Itching to tell someone,
I called Mum.
‘I’ve met my husband!’ I said, convinced Nick was
‘The One’.
And I was right, because our relationship went from strength to strength.
Four years later, we went on a trip to a gorgeous cabin in the mountains.
It was freezing, so we jumped into the
hot tub to try to warm up.
Enjoying the luxury of the bubbles, I turned
to Nick and realised he was on his phone.
That’s so rude, I thought, rolling my eyes.
Suddenly, I heard a booming noise as fireworks sparked and swirled across the beautiful view.
In shock, I turned back
to Nick, who was down on one knee in the hot tub and holding out a ring.
‘Kristin, will you marry
me?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ I said, in tears.
It was a dream come true.
Back home, I dived straight into the planning. We wanted a destination wedding, so I did some research, but nothing seemed right.
‘How about Disney?’ Mum suggested one day.
I’d been a few times before and loved it, so we decided to book a Disney wedding.
Then another idea crossed my mind.
For years, I’d been aware
of special glasses that filtered light in a unique way, allowing colour-blind people to see colour.
As they cost up to £400,
I’d never had the budget
for them. But now, with a wedding approaching, I thought it would be cool to bring them into our big day.
Emailing the company, EnChroma, I told them about my situation — that I had red-green colour blindness and was planning to tie the knot at Walt Disney World.
Amazingly, they donated some glasses for my big day, while Disney agreed to document our story on their blog to publicise their wedding services.
I couldn’t wait.
In time, we travelled to Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, along with family and friends.
On the morning of our wedding, I woke up more ready than ever to marry Nick.
Before the ceremony, I put on my special glasses.
As the colours gradually appeared, it was as if the world was coming to life.
Excitedly, I turned to Nick and gazed into his eyes. Finally, I could admit I was wrong.
‘Your eyes really are green!’ I said, laughing. ‘They’re beautiful.’
Over time, I could see
more and more colours and realised my bouquet wasn’t entirely white.
‘That’s so cool!’ I said. ‘Are those pink flowers? I’ve never seen anything like that.’
Pink was my favourite colour.
It was so hard to put into words how it felt.
I took the glasses off as we made our vows in the pavilion in front of our 35 guests.
Then, as the day drew to a close, I wore them to watch a firework display over Epcot Centre.
Seeing all the colours burst into life in the night sky,
I couldn’t believe it.
I thought back to the fireworks from my proposal and realised how much I hadn’t seen.
Heading back to our room to embark on our Disney honeymoon, my cheeks hurt from smiling all day.
I felt like the happiest girl in the world.
Now, I still wear my glasses when driving, choosing my clothes and cooking. I’m so pleased with them.
To be able to see the colours for the first time at Disney World and on my wedding day felt incredible.
To me, it really is the most magical place on Earth.