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A newlywed amazed attendees at her wedding ceremony by entering the aisle on a horse instead of being escorted by a person.

Kelly Ogier, 34, lost her father at a young age and knew that no one else could take his place in walking her down the aisle at her wedding.

She had postponed marrying her long-term boyfriend, Justin, 37, because she wasn’t certain she could handle the day without him.

The bride, from Guernsey, said: “In the past, your father would have given you away, but he passed away when I was young, which actually made me hesitant about getting married.”

There are specific moments when you feel someone’s absence more intensely, and my wedding day was always destined to be one of those.

When she was finally prepared to say “I do,” Kelly didn’t wish to substitute her father. Rather, the former showjumper chose to walk down the aisle on her cherished horse, Tink.

I wished for Dad to be there— I wanted him to be the one by my side,” she explained. “In some way, Tink brought Dad back into that moment, as Tink had first become mine on my dad’s birthday.

I believe that was destined to happen. Having Tink accompany me down the aisle was the most heartfelt gesture.

Justin, a fellow equestrian, was aware of the plan, along with her mother and bridesmaids – but the other guests were taken by surprise when Kelly arrived.

Kelly and Tink had a successful showjumping career before both retired two years ago due to individual injuries.

“I suffered a severe knee injury, leading to a failed operation that concluded my career,” she stated.

Not long after, Tink suffered an injury that brought his career to a close.

I chose to retire from showjumping. It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever faced.

Kelly and Justin connected through their shared passion, and her loving fiancé fully appreciated how significant Tink is to her.

She added, “I never thought our final chapter would turn out to be our wedding day. It was very meaningful to mount my horse and have someone give me away.”

It felt like the conclusion of our showjumping journey, one last time to dress up.

It seemed like the ideal way to commemorate all that we had accomplished as a team and to embark on a new phase.

For Kelly, strolling down the aisle with Tink to wed the person she loves made the day ‘even more unique’.

Since retiring, Tink has continued to be Kelly’s closest friend, and she went to great lengths to ensure his walk down the aisle was flawless.

It might have turned out very badly,’ she remembered. ‘There was a large pond behind us, and I was slightly concerned that I might have ended up in the pond!

There are few horses that could handle such large crowds and lead you down the aisle elegantly, but he managed it.

She mentioned that he handled everything calmly and guided her safely along the aisle, entirely free of pond water.

Tink remained for the reception, capturing images with the attendees and spending the remainder of the day with Kelly and Justin.

The couple referred to the day as ‘magical’ and mentioned they would revisit the pictures for many years ahead.

“Even for my mom, who knew I would be riding in on my horse, she mentioned it was like a fairytale,” Kelly said.

Having him next to me on my wedding day made me realize that even though our showjumping career has come to an end, our partnership will always continue.

It was a truly enchanting day – a dream realized.