Hedwig, is that you? To Harry Potter fans’ delight the world over, a wedding clip of a trained owl delivering a bride and groom’s wedding rings to spectacular effect at a church ceremony is making the Internet rounds.
Shaun Palmer decided to surprise his now-wife Adele at their wedding in Roker, Sunderland, United Kingdom with Bilbo the owl during their church ceremony (which is also the name of the main character from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings). Watch the magic unfold here:
The groom tells The Huffington Post that “I actually booked the owl before I’d even spoke to Chris, my best man. When I did phone him, I said, ‘How do you feel about an owl landing on your arm to bring our wedding rings down the aisle?’ He said something along the lines of ‘no chance’ to which I replied, ‘Well, it’s a bit late now — I’ve booked it!'” Thankfully, they pulled off the feat perfectly.
Believe it or not, TIME reports that barn owls-turned-ring bearers is a growing trend in the U.K., where several companies hire them out to newlyweds. (And you thought releasing doves was dramatic!)
— Stefania Sainato