Dog wedding draws sold-out crowd at Halifax brewery

Ava and Hunter may be dogs, but over the weekend they walked down the aisle at Good Robot Brewing.

Ava and Hunter may be dogs, but over the weekend they walked down the aisle in front of a sold-out crowd at Good Robot Brewing.

The event, billed as a dog wedding, packed the North-end brewery with four-legged guests and their owners. Co-founder Josh Counsil said it’s the kind of quirky experience the business likes to host.

“I’m pumped. This is great,” Counsil said. “Everyone loves weddings, but as you age, you have less friends that are getting married. So sometimes it’s nice to have a dog wedding to bring people together.”

Tickets sold out the morning before the event, with the beer garden also open to the public. Proceeds from the tickets went to Fly With Me Animal Rescue, a local non-profit that helps find homes for dogs.

Lauren Stupiello and Stephani Gusto said the ceremony was the perfect celebration for their pets – Ava and Hunter – who’ve been inseparable since they were puppies.

“They’ve been best friends since they were 10 weeks old, so it was only fitting,” said Gusto, who own’s Hunter. “They just completely fell in love.”

The pair said they stumbled onto the idea after seeing a post from the brewery. They submitted their dogs’ names on a whim without expecting to win.

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“It’s amazing to have this many people come out,” said Gusto. “There was even overflow on the street.”

Despite their nuptials, the owners said Ava and Hunter will be heading home separately.

“They’re mama’s babies,” Stupiello laughed. “There won’t be any cohabitation.”

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