We planned our wedding around our cat, Waffle – she’s an influencer & so special to us, we even had ‘meow’ music remixes
YOUR wedding day is all about celebrating the love between you and your special person — and for some, your cat.
One couple spent $40,000 to throw a themed wedding in their pet's honor.
Kathy Guo and Sam Xie, both 32, incorporated eight-year-old Waffle into every element of the big day.
Ever since adopting the ginger tabby in December 2015, the pair has said she is "part of the family."
So it was an easy decision for Kathy when Sam proposed a less-than-traditional wedding theme.
"I'm definitely the crazy cat lady in the couple," said Sam, a chief operating officer from California.
"We thought a regular wedding was a bit too traditional so I suggested we incorporate Waffle into the day and Kathy loved the idea."
Kathy, a family medicine doctor, added, "When Sam suggested we make it cat-themed, it just clicked.
“Waffle means so much to us and we wanted her there in spirit on the big day.”
While the couple wasen't allowed to bring Waffle to the winery venue, they included all of her favorite things in their big day.
The pair had Waffle-themed menus, balls of yarn as centerpieces, and a giant scratching post for the welcome sign.
Even their dessert table was filled with cat-themed puddings including cookies, cupcakes, and a cat-shaped cake topper.
In the photo booth, they had a giant cut-out of Waffle's head for people to take photos with, and they played songs with cats meowing in time to popular tracks.
"We both love Waffle so it only felt right to incorporate her into the wedding," Kathy explained.
"We did a bit of DIY for some of the cat-themed touches around the wedding.
"My sister and mom-in-law helped me put the balls of yarn together, and hang them from the flowers.
"We wrapped the welcome sign to look like a scratching post and I found cat magnets for party favors."
Waffle first gained internet notoriety in 2017 when Sam, who was practicing for a social media internship, created her Instagram account (@wafflethetabby).
The beloved pet now has a whopping 27,000 followers with Kathy and Sam working together to post daily content.
Waffle's internet fame even helped land Sam a job in the pet industry.
"I work with Nala Cat's cat food brand Love, Nala, I am the COO and run all the daily operations," he said.
The couple, who went viral after branding Waffle a "purrista" and posting coffee-making videos, have become part of a community of social media cat owners.
They even invited the owners of other "cat-fluencers" that Waffle has befriended online to their big day.
"I couldn't believe it when Honey Belle's owner flew out to join us all the way from Australia, it was so special," said Kathy.
"It was amazing that so many other cat owners we've met on Instagram journeyed to be there," Sam added.
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"Waffle wasn't at the wedding, we couldn't have cats there, but we had her there in spirit.
"She's such a special cat and she means a lot to us, it was a very special day."
