A bride from Guernsey surprised guests at her wedding by riding her horse down the aisle instead of having a human give her away. Kelly Ogier, 34, lost her father when she was young and knew no one else could replace him to walk her down the aisle. She had even delayed marrying her long-term partner, Justin, 37, because she wasn't sure she could face the day without her dad.
Riding down the aisle on Tink
Kelly, a former showjumper, decided to ride her beloved horse, Tink, down the aisle. 'I wanted Dad there – I wanted him to be the one beside me,' she explained. 'Somehow, Tink brought Dad back into that moment, because Tink had first become mine on my dad's birthday.'
Justin, also a showjumper, knew about the plan, as did her mother and bridesmaids – but the rest of the guests were stunned at Kelly's entrance.
A tribute to her father
Kelly said: 'Traditionally, your father would give you away, but he sadly passed away when I was young, which actually put me off getting married. There are certain milestones where you feel someone's absence more than ever, and my wedding day was always going to be one of them.'
Kelly and Tink enjoyed a lustrous showjumping career before both ended two years ago after suffering separate injuries. 'I sustained a bad knee injury, which resulted in a failed surgery which ended my career,' she said. 'Shortly after, Tink sustained an injury which ended his career. I made the decision to retire from showjumping. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make.'
A meaningful entrance
Kelly and Justin met through the sport, and Justin understood how much Tink means to her. Kelly said: 'I didn't ever imagine our last chapter would be our wedding day. It meant a lot to be able to climb on board my horse and be given away. It was like the end of our showjumping chapter together, one final time to get dressed up. It felt like the perfect way to celebrate everything we'd achieved together and to start a new chapter.'
Tink stayed for the reception, taking photos with guests and enjoying the rest of the day with Kelly and Justin. The pair described the day as 'magical' and said they would look back on the photos for years to come.
Kelly recalled: 'It could have gone so wrong. There was a massive pond behind us, and I was a little bit worried that I would end up in the pond! There aren't many horses that would stand up to all those crowds and carry you down the aisle gracefully, but he did.'
'Even for my mum, who knew I would be entering on my horse, she said it was just like a fairytale. Having him by my side on my wedding day reminded me that although our showjumping career has ended, our partnership never will. It was an absolutely magical day – a dream come true.'
