fish and candles

[Wingin' It]

Just for the 'record', I had 8 Bettas in their own vases with bamboo at my wedding. They all lived for several years with the most recent death at 3.5 yrs after the wedding! I agree that unsolicited animals as gifts aren't cool...but every case is different. My wedding was small, and there were no teens, or alcohol at my wedding. I'm not a drinker, so my guests weren't allowed to be drinkers that day either...nice eh?! haha. I personally thought it was a beautiful touch to my wedding, which was very low budget and i'd do it again if I had to (assuming I had the same honest and responsible people at my wedding again!)

[Shai]

I wouldn't recommend it either. Your wedding (reception) is likely to go late, and your guests will probably be in expensive clothing. Who wants to drive after partying for several hours with a fish in their lap? Are you going to provide baggies for each fish so they don't spill?

Ideally (IMO), bettas should be kept in at least 5g of water with a heater and proper filtration (I'm in the camp that doesn't agree with "betta condos", bettas in jars, or anything less than a proper tank for long-term care). Are you going to supply each table with all of the necessary equipment? Food? Water conditioner?

Perhaps consider it this way: would you use a hamster, a bird, a kitten, etc in a box as a centerpiece for select guests to take home? No? Why then is a fish acceptable? You are still presuming on people to accept the responsibility for a pet that can (should) live for years. The only people who should be making the decision to get any pet are those people. Giving any animal unsolicited is absolutely a bad idea, no matter the circumstances.

Even if you only want the bettas as decoration rather than the take-home gift, it's still a bad idea. Animals are not for decoration.