American military Sergeant Joey Johnson served in Afghanistan for almost a year, and came back relatively free of any physical injuries but suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Wanting to fulfil a life long dream he bought a motorcycle but tragically shortly thereafter was involved in a horrible accident that severed his spinal cord and left him with no feeling in his body below his chest.

Johnson, had only been with his now-wife, Michelle, for four months before the accident. However, despite the difficulties the couple stayed together and Joey proposed in April 2013.

The couple were married on on June 28, 2014 – the day before both their birthdays, they share the same birth date.

“He had to learn a different way of life with him and his chair: from showering, getting dressed and trying to function every day,” Michelle explained to reporters.

“But we are soul mates,” she said

As a big surprise to his soul mate on their wedding day, Joey, 27, organised to have his friends help him into a harness that he created and which would allow him to get out of his wheelchair and share a first dance with his new bride.

‘”If you know Joey, he cannot keep a secret. But he made my dreams come true and I never knew how special our day would really be,” Michelle said of the moment.

After cutting their wedding cake, the mother of the bride and mother of the groom whisked her away to the bridal suite while Joey got ready for the big reveal.

“I kind of knew something was going on, but I really never knew what was to come,'” Michelle said.

When she returned to her wedding reception she found her groom standing up in a harness, ready to dance.

“Everyone was crying in the room,'” the new bride said, adding: “It was so amazing to be eye to eye with him again and such a dream come true.”

Take a look at some images of the couples big day and watch the video of the special moment captured by the couple’s good friend Jennifer Traynor:

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