Ms. Welde had met the couple several years earlier at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, and they became friends. Even though they initially bypassed Bearadise as a wedding location, Ms. Welde was happy to have them back, and the couple were married there March 21, the same day they were to be married in Anchorage.
As a perk that no one appreciated more than Ms. Janecek, Ms. Welde supplied a ring bear-er, a 23-year-old “blonde bombshell,” as Ms. Welde called her, with a Hollywood pedigree who sported a fur coat that glistened in the bright Florida sunshine. The bear had three screen credits to her name, which was Carroll. (She appeared in the movie “Big Fish” and was used for animation purposes in “Brother Bear,” both released in 2003, and she later starred in a Toyota TV commercial.
Carroll, who also happened to be a 300-pound bear, pounced into action the moment John Ziegler, a Florida notary public, announced that the time had come to exchange wedding rings. With both a leash (held by Ms. Welde) and a small pillow containing the two wedding rings tied neatly around her neck, Carroll began walking slowly toward the couple, building drama with every step, as the couple’s 15 guests watched.
Carroll inched a bit closer to the couple, stopping at a designated spot a safe distance away. She allowed Ms. Welde to remove the pillow with nary a growl.
“It was so cool and so perfectly and professionally executed,” said Christina Kennedy, 28, a friend of the bride and fellow flight attendant who also sat a safe distance from Carroll. “It’s just not something you see every day.”
Shortly after, Ms. Janecek and Mr. Schaar were pronounced married, and as the newlyweds made their way out of Bearadise, Ms. Kennedy said she overheard the bride say to the groom, “I’d love for us to go on an African safari.”