ZOO AND YOU: Animal lovers get married at the Topeka Zoo
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Giraffes have a special meaning for newlyweds McKayla and Zhyre Cardines. The couple got married in front of the giraffes at the Topeka Zoo.
“One of the first gifts he ever got me was when he was on deployment in Poland and he got me a stuffed giraffe because it’s my favorite animal,” McKayla said. “His name is Ardie.”
McKayla and Zhyre have been together for just over a year. Zhyre is stationed at Fort Riley and McKayla lives in Kansas City. They knew they wanted to get married at a zoo and the Topeka Zoo was almost perfectly in between.
“It’s amazing to be able to like marry him, but oh my gosh it was extra special in front of the giraffes,” said McKayla.
McKayla and Zhyre had both the ceremony and the reception at the zoo. The two got to meet some of their favorite animals after the ceremony.
“I was really happy and kind of teary and like staring at the giraffes is just like another kind of happy, so it was good to like help me keep my makeup intact because I was just like pure smiles,” said McKayla.
Weddings and other special events can be booked at the Topeka Zoo by calling Jesika Elmquist at 785-783-4264, or emailing weddings@fotz.org.