Emma and Aaron Martins-Bennett got married on their property, with their animals helping out. Photo / Supplied
The dogs wore ribbons and walked the bride down the aisle and the goats ate the wedding bouquet.
Emma and Aaron Martins-Bennett had most of their 39 rescue animals involved in their March wedding this year.
Both come from previous relationships and have three children between them, as well as a cluster of rescue pets.
On their property you will find six dogs, two cats, nine geese, two kunekune pigs, four goats, five roosters, nine chickens, a duck and a ram.
The Herald today launches a four-week summer series called My Rescue Pet, where we profile animals that have been adopted from the SPCA and their owners.
The SPCA hopes that more of the 46,000 animals coming through its doors each year will be adopted.
The Martins-Bennetts have adopted all of their animals - either through the SPCA or through other animal sanctuaries.
Martins-Bennett plans on volunteering time at the Hobsonville SPCA when it opens, with her husband working fulltime as a manufacturing production manager.
She is also opening an animal fostering home on their property next year.
"Our SPCA fostering of rehabilitation dogs will start in the New Year so with our animals and more it's very much fulltime here.
"It was always a dream of mine to do this and we would rather money went on saving and enriching the lives of animals who can't help themselves.
"We do spend more than Aaron earns on our animals at this point, the next couple of years we will even out," she said.
They love their herd so much, they made sure to involve them in their nuptials on their 0.8ha property in Dairy Flat, north of Auckland.
"All our dogs had beautiful ribbons and flower collars made by my mother-in-law," Emma Martins-Bennett said.
"Two dogs walked down the aisle and the rest were all near the ceremony.
"I fed my wedding bouquet to the goats and had photos with all our animals as well."
Instead of asking for gifts, they asked that guests make a donation to the SPCA.
"We managed to raise about $3000 for the SPCA that way," Martins-Bennett said.
Of the six dogs, three have disabilities that people would often avoid when looking for a pet.
One lost her leg as a puppy, another is deaf and was rescued after being used as a bait dog in a dogfighting ring, and the last, Maggie, is blind.
"She's a really special dog," Martins-Bennett said.
"Maggie leads a perfectly normal doggie life, she runs full gallop around and around our property because she has a mental imagery or map of where everything is.
"It absolutely breaks my heart when I watch her, it makes me so happy."
She said her love of animals came at a young age.
"My parents foster cats with the SPCA and have always been cat people. Both sets of my grandparents were really loving and caring of animals too."
A spokeswoman for the SPCA said they are seeing more complaints of animal cruelty each year as more people are being educated about animal welfare.
Each year around 15,000 animal welfare investigations are carried out by the SPCA, with 46,000 animals coming through their doors.
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