Couple have unexpected giraffe visit their wedding ceremony held in nature reserve

A newlywed couple were surprised on Saturday by an unexpected guest at the after-ceremony party: a giraffe.

Abby (whose name originally stood for abnormally big baby), turned up as Tristan Burns and Luke Karshagen were taking photographs on Areena Riverside Resort, a nature reserve, having just got married near East London, South Africa.

‘Honestly, I was a little worried at first. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt, nor did I know the nature of Abby,’ Burns told Yahoo Lifestyle. 

The gentle creature is well-known on the game reserve for his ‘amazing kisses’ and loves human attention

‘He just popped his head out of the trees. He must have heard us and just came waltzing into our party.’

Wedding Photographer Stephanie Norman posted her images on Love What Matters, a blogging website

Despite having taken photos at Areena before, Norman had never experienced anything like this.

Abby the giraffe has lived on the Areena Riverside Resort game reserve,  near East London, South Africa, since he was four-months old, but has never before infiltrated a wedding

Abby the giraffe has lived on the Areena Riverside Resort game reserve, near East London, South Africa, since he was four-months old, but has never before infiltrated a wedding

She wrote: ‘We got photobombed by this beautiful, gentle giant during the wedding. He just walked up to us and was so inquisitive, hanging around for a good 20 minutes. 

‘Getting cuddles from a giraffe on your wedding day is a pretty amazing experience! How blessed are these two.’

‘We could then see he was very relaxed and just nosy, so we all relaxed a bit and started taking some selfies, but we were still mindful of his space and not wanting to get in his way,’ she told Yahoo Lifestyle.

Burns thinks Abby was attracted by the smell of the flowers in the bridesmaids' bouquets, but decided to stay when when the wedding party showered him with attention

Burns thinks Abby was attracted by the smell of the flowers in the bridesmaids’ bouquets, but decided to stay when when the wedding party showered him with attention

Tristan Burns said the couple felt 'blessed' by Abby's visit, which showed them how gentle nature could be

At first the couple wanted to get just one picture with the giraffe in the background, but he ended up staying nearly half an hour

Tristan Burns and Luke Karshagen got married in South Africa on Saturday, having been together for three years. They are both from East London in South Africa

‘When I saw how relaxed and friendly he was, I knew I had to take the chance to get them an amazing photo, so I quickly asked them to stand in the path and was just hoping to get a pic with him in the background. 

‘That was when he came closer, bent his head, and gave them a little nuzzle! It was amazing and more than we could have ever hoped for.’ 

Abby has been at Areena reserve since he was a few months old and is free to roam all over the grounds, but is always on the lookout for extra attention from humans. 

‘I think the squealing and laughing kept him entertained,’ said Burns.   

‘[Abby] showed us how gentle nature can be.

‘Luke and I feel so blessed with the whole situation.’

The couple, who are both from East London, started dating three years ago having been friends first.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk