An unexpected wedding guest crashing the reception is almost never welcomed, but Victoria Tinker, SIS/BA ’17, WCL/JD ’21, and Davis Owens, SIS/BA ’17, made an exception for an old (fine-feathered) friend on their big day, May 6.

While the guests were out on the dance floor, the wedding singer let the bird out of the bag, introducing Clawed Z. Eagle, sporting a suit jacket, collared shirt, and his signature AU blue sneakers.

Clawed’s appearance at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown was a sentimental moment for Owens and Tinker, who met in economics class on their first day of college. During all four years as an AU student, Owens served as AU’s feathered figure, while Tinker was on the AU swim team. Her mother, Sandra Spurgeon, worked with AU to set up an appearance by the special guest in secret.

“I’m not a big fan of surprises, but I absolutely loved it,” Tinker said. “We had a ton of friends from AU that were at the wedding, and everyone just went crazy.”

Tinker, an associate at Shulman Rogers, and Owens, who works in communications for the US Agency for International Development, live in DC with their rescue dog, Brooks. They started dating after he asked her on a date at the shuttle stop in Tenleytown. “We’ve been together ever since,” Owens said.

Clawed became part of the couple’s AU love story, with Owens showing up often to Tinker’s swim meets in costume. The couple got engaged on New Year’s Day 2022.

Six years after he wore the costume for the final time, the fuzzy fowl came in clutch again. Entering midway through the reception, Clawed took pictures with wedding guests, shook his tailfeather to the music, then called it a night.

“The reception was just so much fun,” Owens said. “The band was great, the food and the cake were great, and it was a lot of fun to be able to have that celebration with all our friends and family.”