People do the doggonedest things. When Beth Dougherty and Randy Parker of Evanston were married a few weeks ago, their dog Walker served as the ringbearer.
”People who don`t have dogs can`t understand,” Randy says, ”but he`s a part of our family and very special to us.”
”Even friends of ours said it would be weird not to have Walker at the wedding,” Beth says.
Randy bought the springer spaniel eight years ago. The dog came with the name Walker; he was the first of the litter to walk.
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He was more than ready for the wedding: He was the valedictorian of his obedience class, and his routine is to bring in the paper.
Walker also is accustomed to festive occasions.
”We throw a birthday party for him every year, and all the children from the neighborhood come,” Beth says. ”He`s just one of those dogs that everyone falls in love with.”
As a member of the wedding, Walker wore a collar with a heart-shaped pillow that held the rings in a pocket of lace that matched Beth`s wedding gown. He was escorted down the aisle by tuxedo-clad teenager Brian Orlynski, who walks Walker when his owners are away.
The wedding took place in Lemont at Montefiori, the 24-acre Joseph Marchetti family estate, which also is home to exotic animals such as llamas, peacocks and rare black swans.
How did the staff react when the Parkers asked about having a dog in the wedding party?
”When I told them, they said it wasn`t a problem,” Beth recalls. ”They said they had had one woman who wanted to have a zebra in her wedding.”