Being the best man at a wedding is not always an easy job. Even if you manage not to forget the ring, and hand it over without fumbling at the ceremony, you’ve still got that nerve racking speech to make. What if everyone glazes over with boredom, or fails to see the funny side of your jokes?
One groom from County Durham decided to get around this problem by appointing a non-human best man at his wedding recently. Instead, Erik the horse stepped up to be the mane man.
Paul Boyes, a store manager for Lidl, told the Coventry Telegraph: “At first I wasn’t going to have a best man. At a wedding, the worst job is being the best man as you have to be funny. You don’t want to give anyone that pressure.”
“It got to six months before the wedding and I developed a bond with Erik and I thought I wanted him at the wedding. I thought I’d keep it quiet and get my friend Steph to ride Erik down the aisle. I asked her ‘will you ride my best man at the wedding?’
Erik carried off his role with aplomb, not putting a hoof wrong during the ceremony. In fact, he is well used to the hustle and bustle of big occasions, as he is an ex-racehorse. Fortunately, he didn’t mistake the aisle for a racetrack, and kept his cool as he carried the rings in a pouch attached to his saddle.
The couple’s four-legged friend even accompanied them on an 11-day trekking holiday to Wales, which the couple chose at the last minute instead of a planned honeymoon to Italy. Let’s hope they have a happy stable marriage for many years to come!
That’s certainly one way to have a wedding that you and your guests will never forget. Another great way to create lots of fun and memorable moments is to hire a magic mirror photo booth in Buckinghamshire.