Is the alpaca 2018’s strangest wedding accessory?

Alpacas have long been a feature and fixture of Britain, having first arrived from Peru in the 19th century to be rehoused in zoos before being bred for their fleece, which was found to be better than sheep’s wool in a lot of ways. Today, there are around 50,000 alpacas to be found in the UK and the number continues to grow, as do the ways alpacas have become part of our everyday lives.

This doesn’t just mean that we are wearing more clothing made from alpaca wool; people are eating more alpaca meat, going on walks with alpacas, and getting walked down the aisle by alpacas.

A different type of wedding guest

These days, people are looking for ways to make their weddings a little different, and alpacas are the latest – and possibly strangest – trend to help them do just that. Thankfully, these friendly creatures seem happy to turn up and greet guests, act as ring bearers, or walk the happy bride down the aisle. Their reward is getting fed by guests, who are given bags of alpaca food rather than confetti when they arrive.

In return, the bride and groom get to surprise their guests and create a memorable day. Alpacas at weddings have the added value of keeping children, who might otherwise get bored, entertained. Then there are the photographs. Having an alpaca in your wedding photo makes it stand out and leaves the happy couple with great memories – as long as the alpaca decides to smile for the camera. It takes an experienced photographer, such as Kent wedding photographer http://www.tylermadephotography.com/wedding-photographer-kent/, to get good photos when animals are involved because they can be so unpredictable.

Why do people like alpacas so much?

A quick online search will bring up lots of people raving about alpacas, but why? It seems alpacas are wonderfully friendly creatures and beautiful to look at, much more so than the sheep they tend to live with, with their angular faces and wide, round eyes that make you want to approach them and say hello. Their size helps too – they are much smaller than the similar-looking llamas – but keep in mind that they are part of the camelid family and do like to spit, which could leave you a bit messy.