A groom revealed that he had secretly chosen his favorite stallion as the best man at his wedding, and explained that the bride was “shocked” when she saw the horse.
Paul Boyles, 47, of County Durham, struggled to choose a best man before his wedding to Kay, 48, in May, but eventually former King Erik decided he wanted the racecourse to be a part of the big day.
The groom secretly arranged for the 17.2 fifty horses they had purchased last year that lived in a barn to walk down the aisle with his wedding party at the George Washington Hotel.
By the way, Paul asked the hotel to do just that. Black Beauty initials as Kay enters the wedding venue.
But despite Paul’s enthusiasm for the horse’s involvement, he admitted: “The expression on Kay’s face when she saw Erik was utter fear.
Paul Boyles, 47, married his wife, Kay, of 48, to his former racehorse, King Erik, who surprised him and served as best man.
Paul made sure to keep the horse’s wedding rings in a special box in the saddle, and as Kay walked down the aisle he asked the audience to play the Black Beauty-themed tune.
Paul, Lidl’s store manager, said that initially no one intended to act as a witness: “I wouldn’t have had a witness in the beginning.
“The worst job at a wedding is to be the best man because you have to be fun. You don’t want to put that pressure on anyone.
“I’ve never raced until July 2021, in fact I only got on Erik in October.
“The wedding lasted about six months and I bonded with Erik and thought I wanted him at the wedding.
Paul even took Erik to the couple’s honeymoon (pictured), who saw horses hacked in Wales for 11 days after giving up their original plans to go to Italy.
“I thought I’d shut up and ask my friend Steph to accompany Erik down the hall. “Are you going to the wedding with my best man?” I asked him.
“We went to the hotel with Erik, which was a kind of undercover mission, and he wandered around the room.
“We’re going to try walking down the aisle,” he said.
“Then for a few months, I practiced in an indoor arena to get him used to chairs and the like while Steph fully dressed him.”
“I ordered flowers for his mane, it was a complete secret. The rings were there.
But despite Kay’s “horror” when she saw the horse, Paul admitted he was pleased with the outcome of the big day.
Paul explained how many of the guests have compared the magical moment to “a fairy tale” or something from a “Disney movie.”
After taking pictures with the couple, Erik returned to his camp and appeared in a live video broadcast at the reception where he gave his statement.
He added: “He was there from 1 pm, he left at 3 pm and he didn’t make a mistake.
“Some of the words used were like fairy tales, like a Disney movie. Black Beauty music was playing, I loved it.
“As soon as we finished the ceremony, the sun came out. It was absolutely wonderful.
“It was a kind of cross finger.”
In a sweet cutscene, the couple is seen on their wedding day, followed by Paul’s “best man” Erik, who keeps the rings in a special box in his saddle.
Erik returned to his camp and appeared in a live video broadcast at the reception where he gave his statement.
After their wedding, Paul and Kay took Erik on an 11-day honeymoon with the horses.
The couple said their honeymoon was amazing and that you don’t take your best man on a trip every day.
After giving up on plans to go to Italy, they took their horses to Wales on their honeymoon.
Paul added: “Initially we were going to Italy for our honeymoon, but then I decided we had to go with horses, so we borrowed another horse.
“I booked a place in Wales, Kay didn’t know. We spent 11 days there. It was amazing.
“I put a photo of ‘Just Married’ on the back of the horse box. There were people playing and cheering.
You don’t take your best man on a honeymoon every day.
“I think the bride likes the best man more than the horse. If she could marry Erik that day, she would.’
Kay, a site manager, said: “We are so happy that Erik has had a wonderful life… He is a much loved horse.
‘It’s a happy story for us. It was a very special wedding day.
“Even Erik walked down the aisle and put the rings in a candy bag on the saddle and stood there while we finished the shift.”
Source: Daily Mail
