Groom Surprises Bride by Making Her Patients the Ring Bearers

Groom Surprises Bride by Having Her Patients With Down Syndrome Be the Ring Bearers at Their Wedding

By Regina Sienra on September 4, 2024

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Una publicación compartida por Cíntia Bonfante✨Fonoaudióloga Neuropediátrica (@fonocintiabonfante)

Most brides hope to share their wedding day with their loved ones. For Cíntia Bonfante, this didn't mean just her friends and family, but also her beloved patients. Bonfante is a Brazilian speech therapist who works extensively with children, including many with autism and Down syndrome. Aware of how much she cares about them, her fiancé arranged a surprise for their wedding day, making Bonfante's patients part of their special day by turning them into the ring bearers.

Bonfante married her beau, José Vitor Flach, in March 2020, shortly before the onset of the pandemic. While getting everything ready, she had her husband ask the priest to have all the children she treated in the church that day, but they were told it wouldn't be possible. “Since we don't have children in the family, I didn't want to invite anyone else to bring the rings,” she told Revista Cresce. Defeated, the couple agreed that Flach would carry the rings in his jacket for the ceremony.

However, when the big day came and the priest asked to bring out the rings, Flach stood still. “I squeezed his hand as if to say: ‘God, you forgot!' And that's why I was so emotional!” Bonfante said. Instead, the therapist's young patients with Down syndrome came marching down the aisle, as the bride fought back tears upon seeing them. After the initial shock, the couple greeted each of them.

The whole surprise was organized by Flach, who reached out to the mothers of Bonfante's patients via Facebook. “We were scared, because children usually get stuck and they didn't have any training. But they were impeccable throughout the ceremony! And the emotion for us, parents, is inexplicable,” said Luciana Rocha Rech, mother of one of the ring bearers. “It was gratifying and moving. What these professionals, like Cíntia, do in our children's daily lives is priceless. You can tell she is passionate about what she does, she cares about how the child is doing at school, if they are following the instructions, if they are being careful… She really puts her heart into it.”

Fast forward four years, and Bonfante and Flach are now parents to a boy named Miguel. She also continues to be a dutiful therapist, sharing tips on Instagram and helping patients in southern Brazil. When asked about her practice, she said, “Oh, it's a lot of love and dedication. I put myself in the families' shoes and understand the difficulties they face in ensuring that the rights of people with disabilities are met. I show a lot of affection to the people I treat so that they can evolve and overcome their difficulties, because with love, everything is possible.”

You can watch the emotional moment during Bonfante's wedding below.