Wedding Guests Asked To Wear Eye Masks To Experience Ceremony Like Blind Bride

A couple handed their wedding guests eye masks so they could experience part of the ceremony as the bride, who is blind, does – with events described to them. Katie Hearn Stich, 38, from Smyrna, Georgia, lost her sight in 2017 when a rare disease damaged her optic nerves. By 2021, she was still anxious about dating without sight, but technology helped her connect with Zach Stich, 37, and the pair hit it off right away. Katie's condition didn't faze Zach, and as their relationship grew more serious, he became her go-to audio describer. Zach helped by describing the world around her, from the layout of her breakfast plate – eggs at three o'clock, sausage at six, toast at nine – to the events they attended together. When he talked her through a wedding in 2023, describing the bride's entrance and her dress, Katie knew she wanted her own guests to share that experience. Working with their wedding planner and audio describer Paul Byrd, the couple decided guests would wear eye masks for part of the ceremony. At Lindale Mill in Lindale on December 12, 2025, Paul invited guests to put on their masks and reassured them he would describe everything they were missing. He talked them through Zach, his father and brother walking in, the mix of blue suits they wore, and the groom's long golden hair, joking that he was jealous of it. Then came the bridesmaids and Katie's young niece, followed by the news that Zach had started crying again. When guests removed their masks, Katie walked down the aisle to tears all around.