People Online Are Applauding This Wedding Photographer’s Views On Live Animal Use During Celebrations
Some things are meant to stay in nature, uncommercialized. However, we humans think that just because it’s aesthetically pleasing, it’s worth doing. For the show! For the views! For the beauty of it all! But there comes a time when we need to take a step back and evaluate things for what they are.
One wedding photographer has done just that. Nicknamed throwthrowthrow713, they posted their opinion and views on using live animals as props on the big day in the r/weddingshaming subreddit, and dozens of people were in agreement with them. One type of creature they focused on more than any other was the butterfly and the tragedies of live confetti.
So we’ll try to look into both sides of this question, as there’ll be those that don’t see anything wrong with having animals present at a wedding, whilst on the other side are those that find it cruel, regardless of good intentions. Let’s dive into it!
More info: Reddit
Everyone wants to make their wedding all the more special, but some of the ways to get that “wow” factor are a little more than questionable
Image credits: Leah Kelley (not the actual photo)
Those that get married often hope that this will be the first and last time they do so, meaning that one day has to be as special as can be. Although the celebration is all about love and the unity of two people, adding a little magic has never hurt anyone (or has it?), especially if it may help improve the chances of a successful matrimony.
However, when the floor gets littered with sleeping or deceased butterflies instead of them taking flight in a majestic manner, one might think twice about their choices, both in partner and décor. A wedding photographer came to the subreddit r/weddingshaming to share their experience with a butterfly release, arguing that no animals should be diminished to mere props for a wedding.
Hundreds of people agreed with the photographer, sharing their own stories and thoughts on the matter, with one person commenting: “Going to go update my contract rules right now. ‘No glitter, no confetti, no fish, no bird releases, no butterfly releases.’” Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s have a look at the story the photographer shared.
One wedding photographer decided to call out the new trend of “butterfly releases” by sharing a horrific incident that marked one wedding ceremony
Butterflies are a favorite of many, both because of their beauty and symbolism, yet their commercialization has shown to be nothing less than cruel
Image credits: JoelValve (not the actual photo)
The shift from caterpillar to butterfly is a true metaphor for rebirth, making the tiny colorful (or not-so-colorful) creature a favorite of many. “Butterflies show us how we can go within ourselves to dissolve old forms and morph, rebuilding and evolving ourselves,” ecotherapist Anna Cariad-Barrett told MBGmindfulness, noting that they symbolize the importance of surrender and trust “as part of the essential process of growth and renewal.”
Generally, butterflies are thought to represent change and transformation, comfort, hope, and positivity, sometimes even going as far as representing the human soul. While some believed ancestors communicated through butterflies, others took the presence of these creatures as a joyous or hopeful sign.
The spiritual symbolism of any animal is always up for interpretation and will mean different things per person, based on their beliefs and experiences; however, the general consensus leads to the connection of life force, spirit, and transformation. A fragile beauty. Resurrection, faith, and forgiveness—ironic, given the process and prep for butterfly releases.
The seconds-long display often costs butterflies their lives, be it due to cramped shipping boxes or their inability to survive in an unfamiliar habitat
Image credits: Toshiyuki IMAI (not the actual photo)
One incident has been ingrained in memories worldwide. The ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 10 grand finale had viewers shook in the worst way when Asia O’Hara used live butterflies as a prop during her lip-sync battle. O’Hara attempted to release live butterflies from pods inside her breasts and wrists, only for them to fall to the floor, lifeless or struggling to move.
She was later eliminated, issuing an apology on Twitter just minutes after the finale came to an end, writing: “If you are unhappy with me I understand, I’ve been unhappy with myself since that night but I’m going to do my best to make it right. It’s important to know that I would never purposefully hurt any living being and have the utmost respect for animals.”
But this has not seemed to deter people from attempting something similar with butterfly releases. As PETA states, the seconds-long display often costs captive and wild butterflies their lives. “Butterfly breeders mass-produce the animals and ship them like cargo to anyone with a credit card. […] Many are crushed or die from exposure before they even reach their destination,” they said.
The ones who do survive the trip might not be considered the lucky ones. When captive-bred butterflies are left to fend for themselves in an unfamiliar area, they struggle to find food sources and often can’t survive in the new climate. Butterfly Conservation, a non-profit organization based in the UK, has condemned the practice of “live confetti,” as it can also spread diseases and genetic weaknesses among the insects.
“We do not want to spoil anybody’s special day,” the charity said in an article, “but we suspect that the bride and groom often do not realize the implications of their decision. […] We think we should admire these species’ amazing life patterns and not use them for live confetti and Butterfly Conservation takes a very strong stance against this.”
Image credits: throwthrowthrow713
Exotic animals have become the new must-have for couples seeking that “wow” moment to make their wedding unforgettable, yet one must ask: if you really love animals, is a wedding the right place for them? Oftentimes the welfare of the animals goes unconsidered.
Sandra Chile, a photographer from Pittsburg, believes that the impact of having an animal at a wedding should go beyond wedding pictures. “I’ve had couples whose animals are a big part of their life, so they take them to the wedding. Unfortunately, loud noises, lights, an unfamiliar space, and 100+ people around may mean too much stress for the animal. So while including that pet on your wedding day is a priority for you, it is really not optimal for your pet.”
Wedding favors, décor, and even wind-up models of animals may be a better choice. Save the stress and the costs, and prevent a confetti of deceased butterflies to mark your special day. Bad omen? I would say so! Dear readers, leave your thoughts and opinions on this in the comments below, and I shall see you in the next one!
Hundreds of people have supported the photographer’s views, sharing their own experiences with “live confetti.” Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
It’s like when people release f****n balloons into the air. It’s 2023, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!! Congrats on killing a bunch of sea turtles a******s.
And those Chinese lanterns that have killed cattle and horses etc who either bolt when they are spooked by them or eat the metal and die a slow painful death! We have pet sheep who are very tame and don't spook easily and someone nearby released 4 of these stupid lanterns and then started descending into the Sheeps paddock and they freaked out so much, thank god we were there and they have a stable they could hide in. Then the next day we found a 5th that wasn't there the day before that had its metal broken all over the grass and had we not seen it and they eaten it accidentally they would have died. All so people can see something pretty for 10 seconds... they're worse than fireworks imo
My fave P!nk video is "Raise Your Glass", for the music and for the anti animal cruelty images. But at the end, chinese lanterns are released. I feel stupid for not realizing before how bad they are for animals as well as forest fire hazards. In searching online for info, I came across a list of alternatives for releasing balloons and chinese lanterns. Thank you for my TIL moment. I should have known - so many times over the past 25 years I have written to animal rescue groups to ask them to cancel balloon releases - and appreciate your info.
Oof. I thought is was bad receiving dozens of paper mailers from "pro-environmental" groups. Balloons? Not to mention helium is a limited resource that is forever lost into space when released to the atmosphere.
You aren’t stupid. Many people don’t think about where these lanterns will finish their journey. I never considered the forest fire aspect but I live in England where we have only around 3 or 4 weeks per year where a forest or field fire is even possible.
Those stupid lanterns caused a fire in the apes' house, or tropic animals' house or so ... one of these ... in the Zoo of Dortmund if I remember correctly, some years ago. They're fire hazards, and as hazards tend to, whatever danger they impose on their surrounding, will come reality now and then. More often not, but still, the risk is not outweighed by any necessity or greater advantage or lack of alternatives of things we really need done, it's ... wel, just a nice sight for a very limited amount of people for a very limited timespan. They're about the dumbest thing I can imagine. "Hey, let's have a fire float around airborne in populated area! I'm sure it will look nice!" - "Alright, I see no evil in this..." - no intended evil, but it's so dumb that not intending it seems a bit of too much of excusingly selfdiagnosed stupidity.
Shouldn't Chinese lanterns be made out of wood and paper? Those are the only ones I've seen that actually fly. The round ones with wires are just supposed to be for decoration. Ah yes, people don't the smallest amount of research
Yes
Upvote times a million.
Plus there is a shortage of helium
Exactly why I clicked on this post!!! To mention how bad balloon releases are too... most infamously when the Ballonfest '86 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States released 1.5million that littered the lake and choked/killed animals that tried to eat them or became entangled, caused traffic problems, shut down Burke Airport, spooked & injured horses, and caused issues for the Coast Guard searching for two lost boaters. (I've read that the delay cost them their lives but am unsure if it's true.) *edit: checked & they did drown bc of the delay. The United Way did it and were sued for millions, which meant that lost money getting that Guinness Book World Record.
Yes!!! We were asked to get helium balloons instead of flowers for newlyweds. Had no idea what for balloons were meant for. Me and my husband - we felt pretty sh***y when they released balloons into the air. This is all I can remember from that day... the sh***y feeling.
My son was disappointed that they didn't release balloons to compete to see how far they flew any longer. When we'd done it 40 yrs ago, many wouldn't be returned until the next year and they'd have traveled from Ohio to The East Coast and even Florida. My parents would reluctantly buy one balloon, but most kids were releasing a handful. I can only imagine the waste from 1000 balloons.
Some people I know had goldfish in the centrepieces at their wedding reception. The after party clean-up begins and the groom's sister wants to know what he's doing with the goldfish. They were going to get flushed down the toilet. The sister was very upset, and took them all home. She ended up with 24 goldfish. The next day she bought a huge aquarium. It was an autumn wedding, so they were in the house until spring. She put a custom pond in the backyard and had to cage the top because it took exactly 1 night for the neighbourhood raccoons to figure out there's a pond full of of fish. 12 years later and her brother is divorced and she still has 4 of the goldfish
This is like, one of the best stories I ever read! Thank you!
Yeah it is
Before I knew them, a friend had goldfish at their reception. B-I-L got drunk and started betting people $1 that he could swallow them live. I think he ate 5 or so. I don't even know what happened to the rest after the wedding.
Hope he pooped his pants
The poor fish dude
The fish dude was probably fine. The goldfish, not so much😿
Pretty sure that's what F meant. They just didn't use punctuation. It's really not that difficult to decipher.
My cousin had goldfish at her wedding. She ended up giving them to the guests and everyone loved it, so I had no idea it was a problem.
Goldfish get big, live a long time and require a lot of space and knowledge on how to properly care for them. It's also ideal that they have a fully equipped tank with air filter, hides, gravel, and plants. I doubt your cousin provided all of this. Not to mention some people don't have the time to care for an animal. That's a very irresponsible wedding favor to hand off to people and to use as a centre piece. I'm sure most fish died shortly after being 'rehomed'.
She’s a legend.
A sweet woman, and so lucky for her to get those lovely goldfish companions 🧡
I imagine the wildlife thought they'd been blessed by God😄
Fire ant themed wedding?
I would have gone with locusts personally :)
Those from the Jurassic World Dominion?
Africanized bees?
It’s like when people release f****n balloons into the air. It’s 2023, YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!! Congrats on killing a bunch of sea turtles a******s.
And those Chinese lanterns that have killed cattle and horses etc who either bolt when they are spooked by them or eat the metal and die a slow painful death! We have pet sheep who are very tame and don't spook easily and someone nearby released 4 of these stupid lanterns and then started descending into the Sheeps paddock and they freaked out so much, thank god we were there and they have a stable they could hide in. Then the next day we found a 5th that wasn't there the day before that had its metal broken all over the grass and had we not seen it and they eaten it accidentally they would have died. All so people can see something pretty for 10 seconds... they're worse than fireworks imo
My fave P!nk video is "Raise Your Glass", for the music and for the anti animal cruelty images. But at the end, chinese lanterns are released. I feel stupid for not realizing before how bad they are for animals as well as forest fire hazards. In searching online for info, I came across a list of alternatives for releasing balloons and chinese lanterns. Thank you for my TIL moment. I should have known - so many times over the past 25 years I have written to animal rescue groups to ask them to cancel balloon releases - and appreciate your info.
Oof. I thought is was bad receiving dozens of paper mailers from "pro-environmental" groups. Balloons? Not to mention helium is a limited resource that is forever lost into space when released to the atmosphere.
You aren’t stupid. Many people don’t think about where these lanterns will finish their journey. I never considered the forest fire aspect but I live in England where we have only around 3 or 4 weeks per year where a forest or field fire is even possible.
Those stupid lanterns caused a fire in the apes' house, or tropic animals' house or so ... one of these ... in the Zoo of Dortmund if I remember correctly, some years ago. They're fire hazards, and as hazards tend to, whatever danger they impose on their surrounding, will come reality now and then. More often not, but still, the risk is not outweighed by any necessity or greater advantage or lack of alternatives of things we really need done, it's ... wel, just a nice sight for a very limited amount of people for a very limited timespan. They're about the dumbest thing I can imagine. "Hey, let's have a fire float around airborne in populated area! I'm sure it will look nice!" - "Alright, I see no evil in this..." - no intended evil, but it's so dumb that not intending it seems a bit of too much of excusingly selfdiagnosed stupidity.
Shouldn't Chinese lanterns be made out of wood and paper? Those are the only ones I've seen that actually fly. The round ones with wires are just supposed to be for decoration. Ah yes, people don't the smallest amount of research
Yes
Upvote times a million.
Plus there is a shortage of helium
Exactly why I clicked on this post!!! To mention how bad balloon releases are too... most infamously when the Ballonfest '86 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States released 1.5million that littered the lake and choked/killed animals that tried to eat them or became entangled, caused traffic problems, shut down Burke Airport, spooked & injured horses, and caused issues for the Coast Guard searching for two lost boaters. (I've read that the delay cost them their lives but am unsure if it's true.) *edit: checked & they did drown bc of the delay. The United Way did it and were sued for millions, which meant that lost money getting that Guinness Book World Record.
Yes!!! We were asked to get helium balloons instead of flowers for newlyweds. Had no idea what for balloons were meant for. Me and my husband - we felt pretty sh***y when they released balloons into the air. This is all I can remember from that day... the sh***y feeling.
My son was disappointed that they didn't release balloons to compete to see how far they flew any longer. When we'd done it 40 yrs ago, many wouldn't be returned until the next year and they'd have traveled from Ohio to The East Coast and even Florida. My parents would reluctantly buy one balloon, but most kids were releasing a handful. I can only imagine the waste from 1000 balloons.
Some people I know had goldfish in the centrepieces at their wedding reception. The after party clean-up begins and the groom's sister wants to know what he's doing with the goldfish. They were going to get flushed down the toilet. The sister was very upset, and took them all home. She ended up with 24 goldfish. The next day she bought a huge aquarium. It was an autumn wedding, so they were in the house until spring. She put a custom pond in the backyard and had to cage the top because it took exactly 1 night for the neighbourhood raccoons to figure out there's a pond full of of fish. 12 years later and her brother is divorced and she still has 4 of the goldfish
This is like, one of the best stories I ever read! Thank you!
Yeah it is
Before I knew them, a friend had goldfish at their reception. B-I-L got drunk and started betting people $1 that he could swallow them live. I think he ate 5 or so. I don't even know what happened to the rest after the wedding.
Hope he pooped his pants
The poor fish dude
The fish dude was probably fine. The goldfish, not so much😿
Pretty sure that's what F meant. They just didn't use punctuation. It's really not that difficult to decipher.
My cousin had goldfish at her wedding. She ended up giving them to the guests and everyone loved it, so I had no idea it was a problem.
Goldfish get big, live a long time and require a lot of space and knowledge on how to properly care for them. It's also ideal that they have a fully equipped tank with air filter, hides, gravel, and plants. I doubt your cousin provided all of this. Not to mention some people don't have the time to care for an animal. That's a very irresponsible wedding favor to hand off to people and to use as a centre piece. I'm sure most fish died shortly after being 'rehomed'.
She’s a legend.
A sweet woman, and so lucky for her to get those lovely goldfish companions 🧡
I imagine the wildlife thought they'd been blessed by God😄
Fire ant themed wedding?
I would have gone with locusts personally :)
Those from the Jurassic World Dominion?
Africanized bees?