Are you the parent to a precious pup, and you’re looking for ways to include your dog in your wedding? This blog post is for you!
I have so many dog-owning couples who tell me that they want to bring their pup to their wedding, but are afraid it’ll be too much work. I totally get it! Your fur baby is important to you, but you also don’t want to have to worry about chasing them around all day. However, there are a few simple ways that you can include your dog in your wedding, hassle free! Let’s get into it:
- Hire a wedding day pet-sitter! There are actually companies out there that specialize in this, and are there specifically to watch over your pet and care for them while you’re busy celebrating. The sitter will groom your dog so that they’re photo ready and cart them around to wherever they need to be. One of my favorite companies in New England that does this is For the Love of Paws! They offer a variety of packages depending on how long you want your dog to be there.
- If hiring a pet sitting service is not in your budget, don’t worry! That’s what your bridal party is for! Delegate dog duty to your maid of honor or best man. They can watch over them during the getting ready portion, make sure that they’re taken care of during the first look, and walk them down the aisle!
- Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Once you know your dog’s role (maybe they’re the ring bearer or flower pup), have them rehearse their duties. Put on their attire, practice walking nicely on a leash, and get them used to what’s going to happen on the big day. After all, there will be tons of new people and smells around, so they must be confident in their job!
- Consider doing a first look with your pup! If you’re already doing a first look with your significant other, you can do the one with your dog together afterwards. Otherwise, your pup of honor can do a first look with either one of you before the ceremony!
If bringing your dog to your wedding is truly not in the cards, bring them to your engagement session instead! This way, you can still get loads of cute photos with your pup, which can be used as wedding decor!
My best piece of advice? Expect the unexpected. In a perfect world, your dog spends the morning chilling out with you in the getting ready suite, and prances down the aisle sporting a floral collar. But dogs are dogs, and maybe halfway down the aisle they stop to say hi to Aunt Carol. Or maybe they really need to pee in the middle of family formals. Or maybe they paw at you with less than clean feet. Just take it all in stride with a sense of humor, and remember the funny memories that these moments will make for years to come. Your wedding day isn’t meant to be perfect, but it sure will be better with your furry friend around.
That’s all of the tips I have for you today! Tune in to my Instagram to see some behind the scenes of all of the upcoming weddings I have with pups involved. I’ll see you there!
Related Posts:
Fall Microwedding in the White Mountains
