For TV viewers who enjoy the Roloff’s pumpkin farm and wedding events, on ‘Little People, Big World’, did you spot the two paw-ticipating dogs in Firefighter Kevin’s and Meredith’s wedding?
On a whim, Kevin submitted a bio of himself and his fiancé to the show’s producer to appear in
a wedding segment. Five minutes later, the producer contacted him! With no actual plans on getting married for a year, Kevin had a problem. He ‘forgot’ to tell Meredith that he had contacted the show, never thinking they would be chosen, AND their wedding would be in two months! “Meredith and I had zero wedding plans,” admitted Kevin.
“But Kevin and I always knew one thing for sure,” adds Meredith, “our dogs, Delilah and Winston, who are our kids, would
be included.”
“Delilah’s litter was found in a dumpster,” said Kevin, “A garbage man ‘just happened to hear them rustling’ under some garbage, as he was about to empty it. The pups were given to a non-profit rescue shelter and I named her, Delilah, after its amazing creator. Delilah is such a charismatic and loving companion that she’s convinced me to always adopt from shelters.
When Delilah and I met Meredith, she had Winston and,
like us, our dogs immediately fell in love.
Meredith and I visited the Roloff’s farm to meet the TV crew, along with Amy and Matt Roloff. Everyone was caring and made us feel welcome.
I know that some reality TV shows, are often far from ‘real’, but Amy and Matt are genuine down to earth people. As a little kid, I visited their farm during pumpkin season events and Amy climbed trees and helped me pick fruit! They made the filming
process fun and the wedding memorable.
We didn’t know what to expect from our dogs, since dogs tend to feed off of others’ energy. So, on rehearsal day, which is a stressful situation, my dad brought them to the farm.
As soon as the dogs jumped out of the truck, about 100 yards away, they spotted us, and made a beeline to us! They picked up on everyone’s excited energy and were stars!
The rehearsal
was shortly after the Roloff’s beloved dog passed, so their entire family embraced Winston and Delilah.
During the run through, it was a challenge keeping the dogs focused as they walked down “the aisle”, having them ‘sit’, ‘stay’ or laying down during the mock ceremony. We were concerned that they may ‘wig out’, or do something out of the norm during the wedding, because after all, they are dogs!”
The couple was aware that “everything
would be caught on TV” fur in-purr-tuity and paw-tential humor.
Case in point: During the rehearsal, Winston spotted the audio boom microphone’s fluffy-black cover suspended above us. His intense brown eyes locked in on the ‘furry toy’ and he jumped like a jackrabbit trying to grab it. He almost caught it! Showbiz clearly wasn’t ready for him!
It was wonderful having Delilah and Winston in our wedding. They love people and
had a great time shaking paws welcoming guests. Our guests enjoyed seeing Winston sporting a tie that matched my and the groomsmen’s ties and Delilah was adorned in a floral collar that matched Meredith’s bouquet.
The brotherhood of firefighters has an indescribable bond and we were blessed to have them as part of our special day! Several firefighter buddies, as well as my first chief, who’s from Texas, stayed with us before and after the wedding. Our
officiant was also a firefighter.
The only wedding plan glitch was their ‘bone of contention’! They didn’t ‘hound’ me about it, but several were upset that we hadn’t informed them it was a ‘dog friendly’ wedding, because they would have brought their furry buddies!
We understood that having our wedding filmed would catch private and emotional moments, so we appreciated that the film crew was respectful of our
space.
Aside from Winston trying to impede the audio recording, the crew enjoyed working with our dogs. Also, having dogs present alleviated wedding jitters and stress.”
Delilah and Winston joined the happily married couple on the first part of their honeymoon to the Oregon coast. But when the newlyweds flew to Hawaii, their furry kids were “doggy-sat” by their human grandma and grandpa.
“Several times during filming our
wedding,” said Kevin, “kindhearted Amy snuck our K-9 attendants dog treats. Immediately following the ceremony, the Roloff’s invited us to their potato cellar, beautifully transformed into a wine cellar for us. After we sat with them and talked for a few minutes, they presented us with a bottle of wine that they had specially made. The label sported a painting of our dogs! Delilah and Winston were in the wedding, included on the honeymoon, but they won’t be sharing the wine with
us.
The night the show aired we celebrated with family and friends. Halfway through the show Winston went to bed; apparently he was not happy, being reminded that he didn’t catch the boom’s mic!
Married life is incredible! We hope to add a little one to our family this year- a baby. Our dogs will make great nannies. Meredith and I loved sharing our wedding on Small People Big World, and will enjoy looking back on that incredible day 70
years from now.”
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