An owl caused quite a commotion at a wedding by swooping off with the rings and then refusing to return for a staggering seven hours. The drama unfolded on July 20 at Kirkstall Abbey in England, where artist Callum Russel, 29, was attending a convention.

The owl, supposed to be the ring bearer, decided to spice things up by flying off with the wedding bands. It then perched on a high window sill of the Abbey, leaving the wedding party and around 50 guests in a state of utter disbelief.

The owl’s professional handler tried every trick in the book, including tempting the bird with a piece of chicken, but the stubborn owl wasn’t having any of it. Callum, who was there for the art convention, captured the entire saga on camera.

While the wedding continued with other feathered friends on display, the rogue owl stayed put at the top of the Abbey. It wasn’t until 8pm, a full seven hours after its dramatic escape at 1pm, that the owl finally decided to make its grand return.

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Callum, a professional artist from Bradford, West Yorkshire, couldn’t help but chuckle at the situation: “The couple were all set to exchange the rings when the owl decided to fly away. It perched up high and stayed there for ages. I was just casually wandering around during my lunch break when I saw the owl getting a lot of attention. The handler was trying to lure it down with chicken—quite a sight, really. It was a mix of disappointment for the couple and pure comedy for me. The handler kept his cool throughout. When I left at 5pm, the owl finally came back with the rings. What a show!”