Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Monumental Love: The One with the Tiger

Back when I was first scouring local photographers' websites, I noticed some weddings had LSU's mascot, Mike the Tiger, in attendance.  I mentioned it to Sphinx and we both thought, "Well that's a cool idea!" but we assumed it was stupid amount of money and went on with our lives.  Some months later, I figured it wouldn't hurt just to check into the cost.  My makeup artist actually works for the LSU athletic department, and she was able to put me in touch with the right person over there.  Turns out the price was not too ridiculous, but they did not book him until one month out from the event.  At about ten months beforehand, that seemed like a lifetime away!  So I decided to not mention it to Sphinx and just marked down the date in my wedding calendar.  I figured if we couldn't get Mike, he'd never be any the wiser, and if we could it'd be a great surprise.  

And there's nothing I love more than a good surprise.  

Obviously we're talking about the costumed mascot, not the live tiger./All photos by Eau Claire Photographics
Our sisters, MOH Curls and BM Dino, were the only ones I let in on the secret (besides the vendors that needed a heads up), and they actually made the offer to pay for Mike as a wedding gift for us.  A gift that resulted in all of our guests making these faces? Epic!


Mike made his way out to the dance floor as the LSU Fight Song was playing - and he walked right up to me and spun me around!  Sphinx still wasn't completely processing what was happening.


He did a happy little jig in excitement at how cool his wedding reception had just become.


And we all cheered along at the end of the song to "T - I - G - E - R - S! TIGERS!"


Sphinx couldn't be outdone by a Tiger, and scooped me up for a kiss as the song ended.





I briefly checked in with him asking "Do you like it? Were you surprised?" before we got back to cutting a rug with everyone's favorite Bayou Bengal!


And in case you were wondering, Mike is one heck of a party animal.

I love that he came to a summer wedding in his lightweight linen suit. So classy!



Even some of the members of Groovy 7 had to come take part in the fun.


And of course, there were plenty of opportunities for photo ops as well.



Mike even took Sphinx Mom for a spin on the dance floor!
After a few minutes of mascot mingling, the band announced my request: all the LSU students, grads, and fans gather around for a picture with our special guest.  Naturally, they played "Eye of the Tiger" while everyone was making their way up to the front.  The first part of the song is played by the Golden Band from Tigerland on every offensive third down during football games, and all the students know the coordinating hand motions and cheers.

So it's just instinctual for everyone to start doing those moves when they hear those opening notes.




I was amused to see how I naturally protected my face with proper boxing form during the cheer!  Reminds me of how Mrs. Rucksack swung her bouquet like a kettle ball.


I don't think everyone got the memo that even fans could be in the picture, but we got a good crowd of tigers together.


Geaux Tigahs, baby, geaux tigahs!
If you're familiar with Buga Nation you might find this picture cool.  If not - it's still an adorable photo of Sphinx and GM Lil Bro!
Mike stuck around for a full hour, taking pictures and dancing with everyone.  Those photos with Mike were definitely the most popular choice to show up on Facebok and Instagram over the next few days.  One friend not in attendance asked my sister "So, did Pyramid marry Sphinx or did she marry Mike this weekend? I couldn't tell based on the pictures!"

An unforgettable wedding moment that showed off our school spirit and our interests as a couple - that's a successful surprise, in my opinion!

Previously on the Pyramid Wedding:
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