With 23 years of experience working weddings, a Butler DJ said he knows to prepare for the unexpected, but admits he was surprised a few years ago when the groom was replaced with a cardboard cutout for the ceremony.

Robert Pfeifer, of Pifemaster Productions, cited the experience, which happened a few years ago, as it as one of the “wildest” experiences he has had.

As he tells the story, the groom was in the United States on a visa. A week prior to the wedding, the groom and best man went to Canada for a bachelor party, he said.

According to Pfeifer, what was probably a weekend to remember was followed by a set of circumstances that were definitely unforgettable.

When the groom and best man tried to return to the United States the Sunday prior to the wedding, the groom was denied entry because the terms of his visa stated that he could not leave the country and return on the same visa, Pfeifer said.

He recalled that the wedding went on without the groom.

They had a cardboard cutout made of the groom, and they called him on FaceTime for the ceremony, he said.