BRIGHTON, Colo. — When two people get married, they often want their best of friends and family members by their sides, and in Colorado, that can mean your pet!
A unique Colorado law allows a couple to get married without an officiant or witness, which means they can choose their own, according to Jefferson County Clerk Amanda Gonzalez.
Newlyweds Randy and Alexandria Eckhart chose their dog Bella Rose as their witness, after a wrench in their wedding day plans turned out to be the best memory.
Five days before they were supposed to leave for their Nov. 9, 2024 wedding in New Mexico, Alexandria took Bella Rose to the vet. That's when they discovered she had two large tumors.
Her worsening conditions and a big blizzard had the Eckhart's rethinking their plan.
"We decided to get her into CSU veterinary emergency care in Fort Collins, because I heard that's probably the best place to take her and give her a fighting chance," Randy said.
In between spending their days by their 8-year-old dog's side, the couple turned a small thought into a big idea.
"She was a really big part of our lives, and having her in our wedding was really important to us. So I didn't know in Colorado it was, you know, allowed to have your dog be a witness for your wedding, and that's something we always wanted to incorporate with us," Alexandria said.
"So we drove up there and got our marriage license, and we both looked at each other, so let's just go do this at the vet so we know for sure Bella's here and can sign this and do it. And we kind of joked about it the day before at the vet, and they're like, 'Oh my God, that'd be so great if you guys all came and did your wedding here,'" Randy added.
So they did.
Gonzalez said Colorado is in the minority of states that let a couple do this.
She explained how it works.
"So you're going to fill out that application, you're going to come in with your partner, and you can either just pick up your marriage license that day and take it home with you. Maybe you're going to have a ceremony. Maybe you just want to do something in your home. You can fill that out. You can have your dog or cat or iguana stamp your marriage license for you, just make sure you're using ink that's safe for your pet, and then you can bring it back to us," Gonzalez said.
Your other option? Bring your well-behaved pet into the courthouse with you, sign your marriage license, and declare yourself married right then and there!
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