Most people have seen the Harry Potter movies, where the owl swoops in and delivers the mail to Harry. Well it seems that this unique delivery method has now become a must have accessory for the arrival of your wedding rings at the ceremony.

Don’t worry about the Beckhams thrones, this is the real deal for a magical wedding, and it’s already been tested by Manchester United’s Wes Brown during his wedding to Leanne Wassell.

Ollie, the barn owl has been perfecting his swooping techniques in the Great Hall of Peckforton Castle in Chesire where his owner Mike Roberts has been preparing him for delivering wedding rings to a number of brides and grooms this year.

The Best Man should be nervous, as it’ll be his arm that the bird of prey lands on to pass the wedding rings. And although entrusting an owl with your brand new rings may sound a little risky – can it be any worse then leaving them in the pocket of the bloke who may still be suffering the effects of a long stag party?

Falconer, Mike Roberts, insists that Ollie won’t be flying of into the sunset with your rings in his clutches, and they will be no need for wedding guests to wear hard hats in case of unplanned scalping.
Roberts has taught Ollie the owl to land on a falconry glove worn by the Best man at arms length, whilst responding to special whistles, and relying on a tasty snack for his efforts.

“Birds of prey don’t come back for any affection. It’s food they want,” said Mike. “She knows that when I whistle, if she comes to the glove she’ll get a reward.”

Whilst your wedding guests may enjoy tucking into their prawn cocktails and roast chicken, Ollie the owl will be treated to a tasty rabbit, rat or mouse.
However, the bridal party and their guests needn’t worry about watching this majestic bird swallowing down a nice dead rat in the middle of their wedding ceremony, Mike confirmed that everything is hidden away in his hand, so no one will notice his treat.

Falconers historically have used these birds of prey at their weddings, however it is suggested that due to the popularity of Harry Potter’s Hedwig the snowy owl, they have made their way into mainstream weddings, of course including celebrity weddings.

I’m sure it would make fascinating wedding photographs, with the bride, groom and owl posing happily at the ceremony, but surely the look on the Best Man’s face as the owl swooped down on him would be by far the best photo from the day !

Red Letter Days
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