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Updated: Apr 25, 2018 16:35 IST

An American bride made heads turn as she walked down the aisle wearing a golden bionic arm.

Rebekah Marine, who was born without a forearm, flaunted her shining prosthetic with confidence, sending across an important message about self-love.

“The whole point of wearing it was to draw attention to it. I wanted people to see it and notice it because I am proud of where I am right now,” the 31-year-old model from New Jersey told The Metro.

Marine was born with a rare congenital disorder called Symbrachydactyly, which is characterised by limb anomalies.

She says she never felt any different from others until she went to college and started working. She even had to deal with harsh words and pointed staring.

“When you’re willing to feel awkward and embrace fear, an entire world of opportunities opens up to you,” she told Nylon, a fashion website. “The more I challenged myself, the stronger I grew as a person.”

Marine is a big name in the fashion world, having worked for top brands such as Nordstrom and Tommy Hilfiger.

Marine often sports a black prosthetic arm in her modelling assignments, but she wanted a customised one for her wedding. She wanted her “wedding arm” to represent her growth as a person, from being insecure to learning to love herself.

“It represents the growth I’ve had over the past decade,” Marine told Inside.

“To show there is another side of life, and you can be happy with the cards you were given.”

Golden glow A post shared by Rebekah Marine (@rebekahmarine) on Apr 15, 2018 at 6:45am PDT

Marine, who is also a motivational speaker, has worked extensively to promote inclusiveness and support of people with differences.

In an old interview with Nylon, she said, “Sometimes, we forget we have the option to love ourselves the way we are, and that beauty doesn’t always need to be about your appearance.”

“I want you to challenge yourself in the way you’ve always thought about beauty, and what beauty now means to you. Be kind to yourself, and don’t be afraid of your insecurities, because they’re not so scary after all.”