Having a barn owl serve as ring bearer was just meant to add some whimsy to a fairytale wedding held at a castle in northwest England. The owl wasn’t supposed to steal the show, but the ensuing snafu has delighted millions — including the bride and groom, wedding party, and guests — since the video went viral.
Jeni Arrowsmith and Mark Wood’s ceremony was held March 17 at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire.
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When it came time for them to exchange rings, the guests had no idea that they’d planned a dramatic delivery, enlisting the owl to soar from its handler’s arm and above the seated guests before landing on the best man’s arm.
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The rings were inside a pouch hanging from the owl’s leg, and if things had gone according to plan, the best man would’ve proceeded to take off the pouch. The falconer was then supposed to signal the owl to fly back, bride and groom would’ve exchanged rings, and they’d be pronounced husband and wife.
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Again, that was the plan. But here’s what actually happened:
The owl flew up to the altar on cue, but the best man struggled for several long moments to detach the pouch. Meanwhile, another member of the wedding party pointed at the owl — which the owl, of course, took as its cue to fly back.
So it lifted off from the best man’s arm and made a beeline for the front row. Except instead of zeroing in on the man who pointed at it, the owl launched a spontaneous – and dare we say, completely and utterly hysterical – aerial attack on the poor groomsman seated next to him. A man, it should be noted, who has an almost pathological fear of birds.
“For some reason, the owl just decided he wanted to go for him and he was just terrified. He’s absolutely petrified of anything that flies,”said the wedding photographer, Stacey Oliver.
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After knocking the poor man out of his chair, the owl called off its own attack and retreated to a nearby table, stoically glaring out at the room — which, by then, was filled with peals of laughter.
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But its moment of glory was short-lived: Falconer Joe Cooper stomped up the aisle and retrieved the naughty bird, then disappeared outside without a word.
That wedding, Stacey said, “was certainly one I will never forget.â€
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Fortunately, both Jeni and Mark saw the humor in the situation and view it as a highlight of the ceremony.
“I was chuckling that much inside that my stomach was hurting,”she said, adding everyone in the room “was absolutely hysterical.”
Watch this rogue owl cause mass chaos in the clip below, and don’t forget to share to spread more laughs!
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