U.S.

Watch: Paralyzed groom walks down aisle with help of robotic device

/ CBS/AP

Paralyzed man accompanies bride down the aisle

DEWITT, N.Y. -- New York resident Matt Ficarra has been paralyzed from the chest down since an accident three years ago, but that didn't stop him from walking down the aisle.

Ficarra was able to stand and walk during the wedding ceremony in suburban Syracuse on Saturday with the help of a battery-powered robotic exoskeleton called an Ekso. He tells the Syracuse Post-Standard he's been driving to a rehabilitation center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, weekly since April to practice walking with it.

Ficarra told "CBS This Morning" that it "felt awesome" walking down the aisle with the device. He is trying to raise enough money to buy his own exoskeleton - they cost about $130,000.

Ficarra has been paralyzed since he broke his neck in a boating accident in 2011. He married Jordan Basile in the ballroom of the Doubletree Hotel in DeWitt.

The couple leaves Monday for a honeymoon in Jamaica.

First published on October 20, 2014 / 9:43 AM EDT

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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