If you’re going to get married why not make it an otterley otter themed wedding! Autumn did just that for her special day and she has very kindly shared her story with us. Read on for lots of clever otter wedding ideas and a very special day indeed (despite that pesky Covid-19!).
This was the second marriage for both of us. We each had vastly different styles of wedding the first time and both of us had little say in the arrangements. This time was going to be different. This time it was going to be about us and the things that are meaningful to us. How could we make our wedding and reception special?
It all started with otter cake toppers. Standard cake toppers simply do not signify who we are. We are cuddly, goofy, and love to be together. It had to be otters and so the search began. After hours of searching I settled on Finding Dory Otter toys. They are wide eyed and adorable! I tied ribbons around their necks, gave the little girl a simple fake flower bouquet, and the pair were perfect! It was the beginning of the otter wedding.
If we were going to have otter cake toppers surely, we needed otter vows. I went to work. I searched the internet for the perfect vows and photo, edited them, and had them printed as a photo. Shortly after it arrived, I found a better picture and ordered it also. We framed both photos. One in a smaller frame would be used to read our vows at the ceremony. The original photo was placed in a larger frame with a wide mat to use as our guest book.
Wedding planning continued and we decided on a picnic reception in a park. I would make all the food, we would have yard games, and lawn chairs. It was to be fun and laid back with only our closest family and friends. We did want some standard wedding traditions like cutting the cake, but what to do about tossing the bouquet and garter. Otters of course! Instead of tossing flowers and a garter to our single guests, of which there were few, we would toss otters. All our guests would be divided into 2 groups, those above 18 and those below. The winner in the older group would receive a gift containing hope, joy, and wealth…scratch off lottery tickets. The winner of the younger group would get the gift of luck, wealth, and love…dollar bills folded into an origami shamrock and several hearts.
The final otter aspect was only known to my husband and me. There is an old English rhyme, “Something olde, something blue, something borrowed, something blue.” I discovered there is another line, “a sixpence in your shoe.” My search resumed for otters. They needed to be small and have monetary value not a token. I decided on two Transnistria Moldova rubles, bearing a Eurasian red otter. I did indeed put my otter coin in my shoe as I walked down the aisle. The coins now reside in our wallets, a small piece of our wedding carried with us wherever we go.
Unfortunately, our wedding plans changed, and we postponed the reception until later in the fall. The ceremony that would have had 65 in attendance was limited to six including the photographer. We will have our celebration with our family and friends. We will gather and eat and reminisce. Our day, our otter wedding, was exactly what we wanted. It was intimate. I was fun. It was laid back and was all about us. It was magical!
Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Autumn!
These always make me laugh/smile.
Otterly essential! A day without otters is like a year without sunshine. Thanks!