Man Brings a Llama in a Tux to His Sister’s Wedding, Fulfilling Promise Made 5 Years Ago

(Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock)

A Cleveland man fulfilled an extraordinary vow to his sister when she got married, which most anyone might have misinterpreted as a joke, by bringing a real live llama (yes, the animal) dressed in full tuxedo to her wedding. The hilarious wedding photo that was taken of the unexpected guest’s arrival shows the bride’s incredible reaction, and it became a viral hit on Reddit.

It all began back in 2015 when a 16-year-old Mendl Weinstock and his sister, Riva, were driving back to Indiana from Ohio. In a Reddit post, the brother, whose handle is DJ117Xx, explained that while she was single at the time, the young woman kept talking about her “wedding like it was tomorrow.” He told her that if he had to attend his sister’s marriage day, he would bring a llama with him.

He has now made good on his word.

(Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock)

On hearing this, Riva was upset at first by the prospect yet eventually gave in and begrudgingly told her little brother, “The llama is also invited to the wedding!” The young man never forgot his sister’s words. He waited for several years until the opportunity presented itself. But when Mendl learned of her engagement in October 2019, “he knew it was [his] time to shine.”

Bringing a llama in a tuxedo at a wedding was no easy task. The prankster brother enlisted the help of a fellow Redditor and tailor, MrsSamHandwich, who was in charge of dressing up the massive hooved animal.

(Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock)

The tailor started a post asking fellow internet users for guidance on getting the measurements right for the llama. Unsurprisingly, many users on the platform initially thought she was joking. Not only was she serious about sewing the suit, but it was also a labor of love. She said in a Reddit comment that she refused to accept any payment from Mendl.

“I just want to make the world a better place, and a llama in a suit is a good place to start,” she said.

MrsSamHandwich recalled how the entire plan was close to failing when the first owners of a llama had “ghosted” Mendl two weeks before the big day. Luckily, he did find an alternative solution. For the grand sum of $400, he rummaged up Shocky the llama to attend the most important day of his sister’s life.

Fortunately, as it turned out, Shocky was actually a “show llama,” so wearing a costume wasn’t an unusual experience for him.

(Courtesy of Mendl Weinstock)

As to whether the bride was happy about her sibling keeping a “promise” made half a decade ago, the newlywed told CNN that her expression in the viral Reddit photo says it all.

“When my brother puts his mind to something, he gets it done. So at some point I had to accept it and decide that it was easier to get in on the joke than to fight it,” she shared.

However, according to her brother, she managed to have a fantastic wedding anyway, and her annoyed face in the photo was because he had stepped on her white dress. Apparently, she eventually saw the funny side of it. And so did the wedding guests, who were more than happy to have their photo taken with Shocky.

The funny image of a llama in a suit next to Mendl and his sister went viral on Reddit garnering 159,000 “upvotes” since it was posted on March 1, the same day the wedding took place. The image attracted more than 3,700 comments from users applauding the young man’s creativity.

One comment read, “Yeah, it’s a sibling promise. One you really hope they don’t fulfil [sic], but you know they will. And you can’t be mad because you knew it was coming.”

While another wittingly remarked, “With siblings, promises are more of a threat than a promise.”

This story was last updated in March 2020.

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