Couple incorporates cat adoption event into their wedding and it's purrfect

Weddings are fabulous as it is. It is a celebration of love, families, and friends coming together, but for this couple, cats and dogs are there as well. Instead of tossing a bouquet of flowers, this bride and the groom tossed a cat who will later be adopted. And no, it wasn't a real cat, but a velvety fluffy black cat with gold-rimmed eyes. Cassie and Johnathon Roth decided to think out of the box and go beyond the usual wedding traditions. “Weddings can be wasteful, so we were trying to be mindful of ways we could give back when we got married,” said Cassie, 27, stating that both she and her husband have loved cats since high school, reports The Washington Post. Even the decoration at Roth's wedding read, “We’re getting meowied!"

Christina Soto, one of Roth's bridesmaids, got a hold of the plush cat during the tossing bit and promised to go back to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay later to adopt a shelter cat. It was a rule that whoever caught the cat had to adopt one. “We wanted to incorporate cats somehow in our wedding and help a few animals in need,” Roth said. “Everyone loved it, they said they’d never been to a wedding like that.” The cat tossing video was originally posted on Tiktok by the wedding planners and it has amassed over 4.5 million views. Moreover, the cats were dressed in tuxedos and bow ties. Isn't that the cutest thing ever? “To us, it was a fun way to do something that broke tradition a little bit,” said Jonathon Roth. “We don’t even have TikTok, so we were shocked to see our wedding blowing up on social media.”

This cat-tossing tradition was organized by Kelly Nova and Ilana Karcinski, owners of "FairyTail Pet Care", which assists couples in including their pets in their vows and hosting these small yet fun cat adoption events. The drinks during the cocktail hour were named after Roth's cats and wedding guests were also given the chance to meet five kittens who were in need of a loving home. More than 1,100 dogs have been dressed up in tuxedo collars or bows since 2015, and have been brought to the ceremony to walk down the aisle, pose, sniff and, mingle with the guests. “Dogs realize all their friends are there, so they stop to say hi to everyone and it’s a really cute moment,” Nova said. “But a cat truly has be comfortable with walking on a leash, and that’s rare. We don’t see many of those.”Initially, the Roths wanted to bring their own cats but didn't because apparently, their cats wouldn't be able to handle it.

“We decided it was a better idea to have the Humane Society show up with a few kittens that needed homes and give people the opportunity to look into adopting them,” she said, adding that the cats were kept in cat-friendly tents in a quiet corner of the venue. Two cats, from the wedding, were adopted by interested guests who went to the Humane Society to get the paperwork done. “We had people look at the kittens during the cocktail hour, so they wouldn’t get freaked out,” he said. “It was the perfect blend of socialization and quiet time, and it also raised awareness.” This has been the dream of the Karcinskis ever since they added a "Yappily Ever After" adoption tradition to their events in 2020. “We’ve both volunteered with shelter animals since we were kids,” said Karcinski, 31, further adding that she and Nova, 32, are longtime friends. “It seemed like a natural fit.”

However, nobody is pressured into adopting a cat, they added. Those interested are always welcome to home a cat. Thanks to their adoptions, over 80 dogs have founds permanent homes too. Karcinski also said that this adoptive element in wedding ceremonies have enabled pet-loving couples to include not just their family and friends but also their furry babies too and nobody has anything to say. People love it.