An unusual wedding guest has sparked attention online after a bride and groom's wedding pictures were shared.
Photographer Cathy Craft was enlisted to take the pictures for the newlyweds, a couple who met 16 years ago. But among the guests gathered at the Maison Albion venue in Albion, New York, there was a rather unusual presence—a llama.
Dressed in a tuxedo, J the llama quickly became star of the show at the wedding, and the pictures featuring him have since gained viral attention.
Photographer Cathy Craft, who runs @thecraftedcreative, told Newsweek: "At first, I thought it was a groomsman dressed as a llama, but when he turned, I saw that it was the other way around.
"I have seen couples include their dogs, but this was a first," she added.
"The bride was absolutely delighted and the guests thoroughly enjoyed it as they waited for the ceremony to begin. It put a smile on everyone's face," Craft said.
The llama was hired from Llama Adventures, an offshoot of Buffalo Creek Llamas located in New York State. Buffalo Creek Llamas are involved in llama sales, breeding, training, boarding, and yarn and fiber products, and even host the WNY Llamafest every year in Western New York.
To spread a little bit of llama joy to everyone, the company introduced Llama Adventures, allowing members of the public to book a hike or farm visit with the animals, but also offering hire. Llamas for parades, school events, birthday parties, Christmas photos, business promotion and weddings can be hired from $150 an hour.
"It was a shock at first, but seeing the joy in the bride's face and hearing their back story made it all make sense," said Craft.
The team from Llama Adventures shared the fun pictures from the day on their Facebook page, where the post has received over 5,600 reactions and has been shared more than 19,000 times.
In the comments, people reacted to the llama guest. One Facebook user wrote: "This is hilarious! Love it!"
Another posted: "I couldn't imagine a more perfect guest at my wedding"
"This made my whole life," read another comment. "Pure genius."
"This is heckin' adorable and so cool!!!" wrote a Facebook user.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Update 7/6/23, 4:30 p.m. This article was updated to remove some details and quotes.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Alice Gibbs is a Newsweek Senior Internet Trends & Culture Reporter based in the U.K. For the last two years ... Read more
