STAFFORDSHIRE, England: An English farm has just taken animal love to a whole new level. Endon-based Fine Feathers is offering pet weddings for pet owners who want their dog, cat, horse or other any other farmyard animal to be 'married' to its mate.
According to BBC News, Fine Feathers, an early 18th-Century farmhouse, started offering the service after it hosted a wedding ceremony for two of its own dogs. Freida, a Collie, wed Oscar, a Rottweiler (the father of her puppies), in August 2006. Present during the ceremony were the farm's goats, sheep and horses.
It may sound funny, but if you think a pet wedding is just a joke then think again. According to Fine Feathers owner Sarie Goldstraw, already they have seven animal weddings booked at their farm. According to their website, pet wedding prices can be as low as 250 pounds ($510). The wedding is conducted by Sarie herself and normal wedding services such as flower arrangements, wedding cakes and even an antique carriage transport for the canine bride are also offered. The betrothed couple is also welcome to invite their fellow four-legged friends as guests.
Perhaps pet weddings should be such a surprise considering the proliferation of websites advertising play dates for pets and owners alike. After all, friendly dates are the prelude to marriage. For those afraid of throwing a boring wedding for their 'best friends', the good news is that pet weddings need not be drab and boring. As with any wedding, the four-legged bride and groom must be properly attired. And we aren't talking about any old piece of cloth, either. Websites such as myfauxpaws.com specialize in designing canine clothes, including wedding gowns and tuxedos.
The status of pet marriages is still unsure - even those conducted by real clergy. In 2004, a vicar from Gloucester, England 'blessed' two dogs. Reverend Keith Corless conducted a spoof marriage ceremony for a Labrador and a crossbreed. The 'ceremony' was held after Saul (the Labrador) befriended Foxy, the crossbreed, during his regular morning walk. It was jokingly suggested that the two canines get married but since it is not allowed, Reverend Corless decided to 'bless' them in a ceremony that was intended to be "a bit fun".
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“The feline couple wore matching pink outfits and were wed at Thailand's largest discotheque. The owners ended up paying $427,220 for their felines' special day.”
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However, the bishop of Gloucester did not take the incident - which made newspaper headlines - in the spirit it was intended, and expressed his displeasure over the incident. The Right Reverend Michael Perham, speaking to BBC News, said: "Marriage is something sacred and is unique to human beings - to talk of the marriage of animals is unhelpful." He also reminded his clergy to "enquire more fully before agreeing to be involved in such events."
Pet weddings, like normal weddings, also need careful consideration. Before pets can tie the knot, pet owners must reflect and answer several questions that will determine their readiness to embark on a married life. (See table for pre-wedding reflection questions).
But regardless of what the bishop thinks, pet weddings are gaining popularity amongst devoted pet owners. In fact, some pet nuptials tend to outshine the average human wedding. In September 1996, two rare "diamond-eyed" cats were married in style. Phet and Ploy, the feline couple wore matching pink outfits and were wed at Thailand's largest discotheque. The owners ended up paying $427,220 for their felines' special day.
In 2000, two Maltese dogs were married in what their owners called a Maltese Millennium Marriage. Shayna, the bride, wore a white satin gown while Dusty wore a tux. In place of an engagement ring, the dogs wore a diamond collar. After the wedding, each Maltese received a 14K gold heart-shaped dog tag. And yes, there was a honeymoon.
tsk. another way of humanizing our pets. i'm sure pets don't even know what these ceremonies are about. gosh. there are so many people out there who have a lot of free time to even think of and implement trivial matters such as pet marriage and divorce.
what the.....this is so hilarious. i cant believe that there are actually pets who get married! this is completely fine with me except for the fact that these pet weddings can actually cost a lot! but what a cute thought.
now marrying 2 pets i can understand but marrying your pet? whats wrong with the world?
what if your pet is the same gender as you are? do they allow that if its a pet ur marrying?? hahahahaha....
Hey buddy.. will you.. marry me? Arf! Arf! lol!
sheesh! what a waste of money! but its actually a good idea on a business perspective. hmmmmm.......
Totally absurd! When I was young, I used to marry Barbie and Ken, some other stuffed animals, our dogs, etc! lol! The people who invented pet weddings have taken their imagination to a money-making venture! what's crazier is that some people actually patronize this crazy idea! ergo, these people are crazy!!
You can marry your pet?! What the.. ?! Thank goodness there is no intimacy involved. That would be downright disgusting. But how do you know that after the wedding, there is no intimacy going on? Nobody watches these people after the wedding. In a way, maybe human-pet marriages lead the way to bestiality. Sick.!!
$427,000 on a cat wedding?! insane!
seven bookings don't sound like a lot of bookings to me...
Marry your OWN pet? Seriously, do we really have to encourage such behavior?
what an absurd thought! i cant imagine two animals getting married. what for? it will be just a waste of money. some people really have too much money and dont know what to do with it.
what a freakin waste of money! that's $427,000! i'd rather use my money on something more important.
as long as its their cash they're throwing on those animals, thats cool with me. its a free world! or is it?
awwww......that's so cute! i cant imagine pets getting married. wish i could get to watch one and see how it goes.
yes, it does sound a little excessive. but if their owners want to blow all that money on their pets and a wedding, they're all within their rights to do so :)
ok, pets marrying pets is cute. if you have money to spare and burn, then do that kind of thing if it makes you happy. but humans marrying pets?! that's disgusting!! i wouldn't do it even if they offered it for free!
shouldn't marrying pets to humans be outlawed somehow? that's almost like bestiality!
My girlfriend wanted her basset hound and toy poodle married which to me seemed.. well stupid. but ofcourse i didnt tell her abt it. so one weekend we gathered at her place and had a little party for the dogs and she just took it upon herself to pronounce them married and so they were. well it made her happy and she didnt hurt anyone in the process so i guess its cool. whatever floats your boat
Pet owners can be too excessive sometimes. too much money and too little bright ideas on how to spend it so they choose to do mundane things like have their pets married.
This is ABSURD! yes, i am all for pampering pets and spoiling them. but actually marrying them? sheesh! this all for the benefit of the crazy human owners. when showing love to a pet, show it in a way that it will benefit the pet too!
This is for real??? Whacko! Maybe I can make money out of people's wackiness for their pets. I could put up a pet cult or a pet religion! LOL. Come and join this pet religion so your pooch can have faith, enlightenment, etc! Man, I would make millions! LOL
What exactly is the purpose of pet weddings? this is so totally stupid! i guess that some people just find this kind of thing a novelty or some cutesy thing to do. how immature.
really, what's the point in marrying pets? DUH! if you have 7grand to blow, why not use it to pamper pets with a diamond collar or something? at least it's something tangible or real rather than blow big money on a stupid "idea".
but a diamond dog collar is just as stupid if you ask me.. whats a dog gonna do with diamonds? da only diff is dat diamonds are tangible.,.
well, i'm actually not surprised with this story. even same sex marriages are now even practiced in some states. scary thought actually.
My sister's dog is engaged! our neighbor and his shih tzu went over to our place and asked for denise's (our own shih tzu)paw in marriage. its goin to be held 2 weeks from now and you guys are invited, if you happen to be around keller that time lemme know. LOL
Pet Weddings. tsk. What will they think of next? Weddings under different religions? Christian wedding. Japanese wedding. Chinese wedding. Buddhism wedding. This is lame!