Bridesmaid Finds Pups Abandoned on Side of Road, So Bride Puts Them All in Her Wedding

By Amanda Thomason May 15, 2019 at 10:22am

Weddings are joyous, wonderful, magical affairs, yes — but you have to be very careful when making decisions and planning the event.

There is a very fine line between being uniquely interesting in your choices and flying in the face of tradition and upsetting guests.

Decide to use donuts instead of a cake? Quirky. Decide to provide a snack bar instead of a meal? Pushing it, for some. Wear a dress color other than white? Some guests might not get it.

But one thing most people can agree on is that puppies are adorable, and a wedding with puppies is better than a wedding with none.

For one bride-to-be in Charlotte, North Carolina, puppies were an unexpected but very welcome last-minute addition to the ceremony.

On May 10, as Crystal Mosteller Hopson (one of the bridesmaids) drove to River Creek Lodge in Hiddenite where the rehearsal for a friend’s wedding was being held, she spotted something that stopped her.

“I was already running a little late because I had to pick up some last minute supplies,” Hopson told WCNC-TV. “But I’m driving and I pass a box that said free puppies.”

There were four puppies left, so Hopson snapped them all up.

It just so happens that Hopson is also the director of Hartman’s Haven Dog Rescue and suspected that the pups were being offered in a bad part of town.

Worried for the pups, she did the only thing she could do: She brought them to the rehearsal.

The bride, Ashley Price, was a volunteer for the rescue and fellow dog lover, according to a post by the rescue.

“Of all weddings, of course, it’s Ashley’s wedding that I find free puppies on the side of the road,” Hopson told WCNC-TV. “She won’t care if I bring them.”

When Price saw the light-colored pups — who just happened to fit in with her wedding colors — she said, “let’s add them to the wedding party!”

Price had the groomsmen carry the puppies, and based on the photos of the wedding the result was heartwarming and adorable.

“During the actual ceremony, people didn’t know the story of them,” Hopson said.

“They were just kind of oo-ing and ahh-ing over groomsmen carrying little puppies down the aisle.”

Price made sure to recognize all who made the puppy appearances possible.

“I owe a HUGE thank you to my husband, Andrew Mauney, as well as our wonderful wedding party for accepting these pups with open arms, literally at the last minute, when I decided to add them into our wedding ceremony!” Ashley Price wrote in a Facebook post on May 14.

“This rescue ROCKS and so did our wedding party! The pups are available for adoption through Hartman’s Haven Dog Rescue. The groomsmen, however, are NOT available ?”

The puppies, estimated to be around 7 weeks old, are now being fostered and the rescue is accepting applications from interested potential owners.

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