While the whole big day is special for a couple, wedding ceremonies are not typically known as a show-stopping event. Lara from Savage Live Entertainment has come up with something that we have to say when we heard about it first, we were amazed! Seriously, this will be the coolest thing you read about today!
Hi Lara, you offer a very unique experience for couples and wedding guests at ceremonies! Can you explain what you do?
Well actually, WE don’t do much! All the work is performed by our gorgeous white barn owl who gently slides down the aisle, to the best man, or the bride and groom themselves, to deliver the rings at the right time.
Once the rings are removed, he swiftly returns back where he is from, the trainer’s hand, who remains unseen the whole time to guarantee a perfect surprise. We also provide as a bonus on one of our packages, a complimentary doves display and release. If the couples wish, we can also perform exclusive birds shows, stunt horses shows, all being designed for their occasion especially, so the costumes, and theme, are fitting their wishes and theme! We love challenges, creating live shows, this is our passion and the magic that we bring the weddings we perform in speaks by itself.
WOW, that is amazing! You must love working with animals and must also have a great bond with your owls…
Mike, my partner, and myself, have been involved with animal care and training since very young, both in our respective fields. He has been a trainee at one of the most important falconry companies of the Netherlands since the age of 13, and the bond he has with his birds is amazing. The owls, as they need to be, hand-reared to be trainable, see us as parents; the other birds of prey, by their nature, would never accept being handled, and fly back to us. If we didn’t earn their trust fully, and this is a daily bonding process from the first day we acquired them, until the end of our adventure together. I am more experienced in the horse training area, and this is very much the same relationship I have with my horse, who, in the very specific job of stunt riding, is working WITH you, not for you. It really all depends on the bond you share with your four legged team mate!
So what inspired you to begin Savage Live Entertainment?
We have had the ambition to create a live entertainment company since we met, actually. Mike being a gifted bird trainer, and myself with a fair experience in stunt riding shows. Having met working in a birds and horses live show, where we found many MANY things should have be done better for the sake of the animals. So, we decided that pointing out mistakes was no good enough in itself. We could actually DO better, and BE better to the animals under our responsibility, all the while still providing great quality entertainment thanks to them! Although it was never the case so far, with all the companies we have worked for, we truly believe that is it possible to be successful in an animals related business while making sure they are well cared for!
How many owls do you keep? What are there names?
We just have a few owls for now, three barn owls, one being a baby from this year (the cutest owl ever named Tutti) who might be ready for next season as a back up for Tito and Tita. But an owl takes one to sometimes 3 years to be reliable enough for the flight of the rings. Tito is amazing (the best owls ever); Tita is good and really coming along too! And, if Tutti is as good as Tito then we are the luckiest falconers in the world! Otherwise, there’s no pressure, we love all of our owls equally! Also acquired this year is Appy the Eagle Owl, a very impressive sized owl, who cannot miss to make a huge effect on the guests. The other new baby is Tony… a Tawny owl, which I insisted on getting as I find they have the cutest look ever!!!
But as I mentioned, they might only be involved in weddings next year, with no guarantee as our standards of quality are so high.
You must have a very interesting home life! Do you keep many other animals?
All of our friends call our place the “mini farm”, or “small circus”, and we truly are a bit of both! We just sort of need their presence around, I believe. Mike was saying, as we settled in the house we are in at the moment, that we should get pigeons (that triggered the doves release idea!), because it was missing some life outside the house… we had already 2 cats, a dog, a horse, two ponies, chickens, ferrets, rabbits, and the birds of prey in our care. So, yeah… It’s pretty much a full house!
