Mixing work and pleasure has long been warned against, but for one White Rock resident, incorporating her unique job with her wedding resulted in the perfect day.
Kellie Ingram and her husband, Bob Olthuis – also known as Sugar and Bobo, respectively – decided to add on to their summer elopement with a clown-themed ceremony last month in White Rock that would include family and friends.
It didn’t take long for the pair to come up with a plan, as Ingram works as a professional clown.
“My husband is in love with clowning. He thinks it’s beautiful and he’s fallen in love with the whole thing, so we thought, ‘why don’t we have a clown wedding?’” said Ingram. “We came up with the whole idea in five or 10 minutes.”
Right up to the big day on Sept. 23, family and friends were unaware of the unusual ceremony, which was held on the beach by the white rock, where the city gets its name.
With a little help from Ingram’s friend and fellow clown, Heather Crawford – also known as Korki – the wedding party slowly clued in.
“People had no idea about the theme, they were expecting a traditional wedding,” said Ingram. “Then, while everyone was waiting by the rock, Korki started playing circus music.”
She admits she was a little nervous about the reaction but the theme was well-received by everyone. Walking towards her husband and wedding party in a bright-purple wig, oversized shoes and a rainbow skirt, Ingram said she heard a few comments and a lot of giggles.
After the initial shock had worn off, the couple made it official for the second time, tying the knot as Sugar and Bobo in front of an amused crowd – which was later given red noses, oversized ties and glasses to wear.
“Me and a couple of other clowns picked up clown ties and sunglasses and noses and put ties on all the boys and glasses on the girls. All you heard was giggling everywhere.
“I thought it was really neat,” Ingram said.
Despite the stress and worry about the the unorthodox wedding, Ingram said she wouldn’t have changed a single thing.
“It was a lot of fun. At the end, it started to feel like I planned two weddings, but I would definitely do it over again,” she said.
For more information about Sugar the clown, go to www.sugartheclown.com