Villa Park failed to reach world record for biggest dog wedding ceremony

A whirlwind of canine romance and perfect sunny weather on Saturday set the stage for an attempt to break the world record for the largest dog wedding ceremony at Villa Park.

Alas, the wedding arranged at Lions Park did not win the Guinness World Records title, but it was still a time of howling.

The celebrant, Villa Park Village President Nick Cuzzone, closed the ceremony with an order: “Now you can bark your vows.”

“I can’t tell you how many dogs started barking. It was such a cute moment,” said organizer Leslie Allison-Seei.

According to Guinness World Records referee Clair Elise Stephens, Villa Park has only registered 80 pairs of dogs, for a total of 160 dogs. The turnout was a far cry from the 2007 record of 178 canine pairs harnessed in a ceremony in Littleton, Colorado.

The Villa Park record attempt was the main draw of “Paws & Claws in the Park”, an animal adoption event.

The newly renamed Villa Park Community FUN (Focus on Unifying Neighbors) commission is the main sponsor, and the annual fundraiser features vendors and dog-related activities to benefit area animal rescue organizations.

Arnetra Jackson from Chicago and her family brought their bachelor Shih Tzu named Piper after finding out about the dog’s marriage via Facebook.

“I just thought it was something fun to do – marry my dog,” Jackson said.

Piper was paired with a single Maltese named Bear, owned by Villa Park resident Julian Arevalo. The pairing was arranged during a “Doggy Speed ​​Dating” series in which Piper and Bear were joined in large part due to their similar short stature.

All of the dog owners and couples walked through an aspen archway and a sequined red carpet for the ceremony. Cuzzone officiated the non-binding ceremony with puns like “pre-nip-tual arrangement” and “puppy and puppy forever”.

Will their puppy love last? This was not really the intention of the Saturday festivities.

“Quite honestly it was a great day, watching the community come together and come out for an event like this,” Allison-Seei said.

Although the dog marriage record remains elusive, there is a silver lining. Proceeds from registration fees raised approximately $ 4,000, said Allison-Seei.

It will be distributed among 10 animal rescue organizations presented during the event.

• Daily Herald editor Katlyn Smith contributed to this report.