Wedding brought forward so dog with cancer can attend

Once a couple have locked in a wedding date there’s usually nothing that would convince them to change it – but that wasn’t the case for Estelle and Danny Harris.

The UK couple had decided on a May wedding, hoping for a perfect Spring day to celebrate their love, but when they were told their dog Brucie had just four months to live they hastily reorganised.

Brucie, a five-year-old Bullmastiff, had been rushed to hospital in December when he showed signs of oxygen depletion.

While vets treated him they discovered a large, cancerous lump in his chest and later, during surgery, realised he had an extremely aggressive type of cancer.

Vets advised the Harris’ that he may not see the month out, let alone live to attend their may wedding – something Estelle, 34, simply couldn’t bear.

“Every day my heart is broken because he's dying and there's nothing I can do about it, except love him and make memories,” she told LadBible.

“Our beautiful boy had to be there,” she later added in a Facebook post.

Giving up the hefty deposit they’d put down for their planned wedding venue, the couple completely rearranged their nuptials to a date three weeks after Brucie’s diagnosis, all so that their “kid with four legs” could be there.

It meant sacrificing the venue they had dreamed of, caterers they had already paid and plenty of guests who couldn’t attend on such short notice.

For Estelle, it was worth it.

"Having Brucie there with me on the day was the most important thing, hence why we changed it,” she said.

“I think some people think we are nuts for changing it, as some people see him as just a dog, but to me he's a lot, lot more.”

She has had Brucie since he was a puppy, back when he was only a fraction of the size that he is now, and has had him in her life longer than she’s known husband Danny, 32.

"Everything I do in life revolves around him,” she said of Brucie, whom she dressed in a smart doggy tux to match Danny’s on the big day.

“Most people said Bruce was the most handsome."

Her family supported the changed date, and Estelle and Danny were married in January, Bruice even starring in their stunning wedding photographs.

"I think Brucie really enjoyed it the day. He came to the evening party for an hour but got too tired, so had to go home to sleep his busy day of fuss off,” Estelle said.

It has been two months since Brucie’s diagnosis, Estelle and Danny both working to keep him as happy and comfortable as they can in his last few months.

"I love him more than anything.”