Veterinarian bride and groom have their pet tortoise serve as ring bearer


When it came to choosing a ring bearer for their wedding, exotic animal veterinarians Ericka and Jay Johnson knew they had the right tortoise for the job.
Ericka and Jay, who met 20 years ago while doing a wild tortoise survey, are the proud owners of Tom Shelleck, a sulcata tortoise. They knew he would make a charming, albeit slow, ring bearer, and Ericka told SWNS they would "practice to see how long it would take, and we ended up having to have two songs played so we'd have enough time, and we still almost ran out of songs."
Last month, the Johnsons wed at Tohono Chul Botanical Gardens in Tucson, Arizona. To keep the "always hungry" Tom Shelleck on track, strawberries were placed on the aisle, and he chowed down all the way to the altar. It took about three minutes for him to reach the officiant, who took the rings out of a basket attached to his shell.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tom Shelleck was "the center of attention," Ericka told SWNS, and the bride and groom were "proud of how he did."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Texas OKs gerrymander sought by Trump
Speed Read The House approved a new congressional map aimed at flipping Democratic-held seats to Republican control
-
Israel starts Gaza assault, approves West Bank plan
Speed Read Israel forces pushed into the outskirts of Gaza City and Netanyahu's government gave approval for a settlement to cut the occupied Palestinian territory in two
-
Conservatism is rising. Just look at the music.
In the spotlight The radio reflects American culture
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show