What would a wedding be without a bouquet, flying rice ... and your college mascot? Yes, your college mascot will perform at the event of your choice: party, bingo night, elementary school assembly or bar mitzvah.

Of all such events, weddings are the most delicate. "You don't want to upstage the bride and groom," says Derek Hildebrandt, a former University of Wisconsin-Madison Bucky Badger. "But in the end, you kind of do, unfortunately. Everyone loves Bucky."

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Renting Bucky costs $250 plus $100 an hour, excluding other expenses, such as for travel, props and food. That's a typical price, according to the Universal Cheerleaders Association. Tipping is appreciated, too. Says Hildebrandt: "Forty dollars means a lot to a college kid. Just give it to him afterward -- mascots don't usually have pockets."

-- Adam Cuthbert

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