Barking! Dog owner spends £20,000 on Britain's most expensive pet wedding
By
ANDREW LEVY
Last updated at 12:43 AM on 7th April 2011
The bride wore a white dress decorated with 1,800 Swarovski crystals and accessorised with a pearl necklace.
And as she trotted into the room to the wedding march, played by a harpist, she was met by the groom, smartly dressed in a tuxedo.
Afterwards, 80 guests enjoyed a sumptuous buffet in a marquee adorned with £4,000 of flowers, balloons and decorations.
Louise Harris, left, with Bev Nicholson and Chinese Crested Mugly, right, threw a wedding for her pet terrier Lola after running a competition on Facebook to find a suitor
But this was no ordinary wedding. The happy couple were two pampered dogs who were married in a ceremony in the grounds of a mansion in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, costing an extraordinary £20,000.
The event was planned by the bride’s owner, Louise Harris, 32, who dotes on six-year-old Yorkshire Terrier Lola and wanted to find her a partner to stop her getting lonely.
‘I wanted Lola to have the perfect day,’ said Miss Harris, who owns a dog boutique and grooming parlour near her two-bedroom flat in Chelmsford.
Confetti canines: The dogs were married on the grounds of a mansion in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex, costing £2,500 for the venue alone
‘It was meant to be a relatively small affair with 30 guests but the list just kept getting bigger and bigger because I didn’t want to leave anyone out – just like most weddings, I guess.
‘The day was perfect from start to finish and Lola loved being the centre of attention all day.’
Miss Harris ran an online competition to find the perfect partner for Lola, as the dog’s younger siblings Lulu, four, and Larry, two, are very close and often ignore her.
She received hundreds of responses, whittled them down to a shortlist of six, and after a series of meetings found Lola’s favourite was Mugly – a Chinese crested dog who was voted Britain’s ugliest hound in 2005.
Pampered pooch: Aside from Lola's wedding, Louise, pictured giving the speech, estimates she has spent a minimum of £101,680 on her three pets in the last six years
For the couple’s first date, Miss Harris took Lola to visit Mugly and his owner, mother-of-four Bev Nicholson from Eastfield, Peterborough.
Miss Harris said: ‘They do say opposites attract and they played happily together all day. I thought he was the perfect husband for Lola.’ Next came three months of preparation – with the help of a wedding planner – before the ceremony and reception in September.
Lola’s £1,000 dress was created by dog clothes designer Michele Ochs. It was accompanied by Swarovski leg cuffs costing £250 and a £350 crystal lead.
Extras: Lulu acted as Lola's bridesmaid in a £100 dress by Latimer Couture, complete a £200 Swarovski crystal necklace and £150 head dress and Larry was page boy wearing a £100 tux
Lulu was bridesmaid in a £100 dress and a £200 Swarovski crystal necklace, while Larry wore a £100 tuxedo in his role as page boy.
Mugly, meanwhile, got his more modest outfit from auction site eBay.
After the ceremony, dog and human food was laid on, including a six-foot chocolate fountain, and the dogs’ owners made speeches wishing the happy couple good luck for the future.
Despite the bond between the two pets, Miss Harris revealed they will have to learn to cope with a long-distance relationship as Mugly still lives with his owner and only gets to see Lola once a month.
Lola wore a £1,000 wedding dress, made by dog clothes designer Michele Ochs, who created all the outfits in the Beverly Hills Chihuahua film, customised with 1,800 Swarovski crystals by Latimer Couture
‘Mugly is always sending Lola gifts and pictures of himself to make up for the times they are apart,’ said Miss Harris. ‘He sends her little presents.’
PAMPERED POOCH BILL
| Venue | £2,500 |
| Jewellery | £1,350 |
| Dog outfits | £1,200 |
| Food for human food | £2,500 |
| Food for dogs | £500 |
| Car hire of Bentley | £500 |
| Dancers | £500 |
| Make up artist | £200 |
| Hairdresser | £200 |
| Dog groomers | £200 |
| Photographers | £500 |
| Louise's outfits | £600 |
| Favours | £500 |
| Drinks | £600 |
| Dog creche including doggy gifts | £1,000 |
| Gifts | £1,500 |
| Flowers | £1,000 |
| Designers to decorate the marquee | £3,000 |
| Chocolate fountain | £300 |
| Cupcake tower | £200 |
| Security | £400 |
| Wedding planner | £400 |
| Music hire | £400 |
| TOTAL | £20,150 |
Miss Harris estimates she has spent more than £100,000 on her three dogs over the last six years, including £26,000 on clothes, collars and harnesses and £16,000 on a nanny when she is at work.
The dogs’ extravagant lifestyles have attracted so much curiosity that they will be featured on a Sky One programme, A Different Breed, next year.
Miss Harris, who is single, added: ‘A lot of people think I’m mad, and I realise it’s completely over the top, but I want to give them the best life I possibly can.
'I'm still exhausted after all the work I put in to Lola's wedding!
'It was a great day and we had a great time but I don't want to do it again again time soon, so Lulu and Larry best not get any ideas!
'My dogs are well cared for and are spoilt with love as well as presents so I don't see anything wrong with spending so much on them.'
Every Friday Louise takes her dogs to have their personal weekly massages and deep coat conditioning treatments at Diva Dogs which has amounted to a whopping £14,560.
She has also spent £6,000 on beds and blankets, including custom made beds complete with initials in gold leaf and one with ostrich feather and finest faux fur, and cashmere blankets and pillows.
Each dog has their own ornate iron bowl costing a total of £800, steps worth £720 to allow them to get onto sofas, £8,000 worth of pet carriers, and £2,500 worth of hair accessories including two custom made tiaras with genuine pearls and Swarovski crystals costing £400 and £300.
She has also spent £4,500 just on Burns holistic food, £5,000 on dog insurance, £2,000 on photography and £3,000 on an oil painting.
The dogs have also been treated to £8,000 of toys and treats and £5,000 spent on their birthday parties complete with birthday cakes costing £60 each.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1373952/Barking-Dog-owner-spends-20-000-pet-wedding.html#ixzz1Io0nHz00
