Dogs in weddings?

[Autumnovember]

Ok so...I have two nephews who I'd like to carry the rings down the aisle...but! I have no little girls in the family.

Now, my fiance and I (along with our families) are in love with our dog. Especially my family. I am absolutely head over heels in love with my dog (I sound like I need mental help) and I would LOOOOOVE if she were in my wedding. She would walk down with my two nephews. She is perfect.


Thoughts (good or bad!)

 

[lucyandroger]

I've never seen this done in person but have seen photos online and it does look so cute when pets are included in the wedding. My main concerns/questions would be:

- Will your ceremony venue allow pets in the wedding?
- Who will transport the dog to the ceremony and who will take care of the dog pre-ceremony?
- Where's the dog going to go after the ceremony? Who will take her there?
- Will the dog be traumatized by the large number of people or the flashes from cameras?
- Will your dog behave (i.e. not bark during the ceremony or chase after a kid, etc.)?

 

[Autumnovember]

I've never seen this done in person but have seen photos online and it does look so cute when pets are included in the wedding. My main concerns/questions would be:

- Will your ceremony venue allow pets in the wedding?
- Who will transport the dog to the ceremony and who will take care of the dog pre-ceremony?
- Where's the dog going to go after the ceremony? Who will take her there?
- Will the dog be traumatized by the large number of people or the flashes from cameras?
- Will your dog behave (i.e. not bark during the ceremony or chase after a kid, etc.)?

Lucy, those are some VERY VERY good questions that I'll need to think about and seriously consider. Thanks so much for posting them, I am so blinded by my obsession for my dog that I really (not lying) would never have thought of those questions on my own.

Maybe instead of using her for the wedding I can use her for some engagement shoot shots??

 

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would choose not to. I consider my pets family, but unless they're service dogs, there's too great of a possibility of something going wrong. Plus if you're having a wedding beyond 20 or so people, it's just too big of a risk. What if he got loose when things are hectic? What if he needs to go potty at the wrong time? There are lots of other questions, but I think that's enough to add to the list that Lucy already gave.

I *love* the idea of having him be part of your engagement photos though!!

 

[Autumnovember]

Personally, I would choose not to. I consider my pets family, but unless they're service dogs, there's too great of a possibility of something going wrong. Plus if you're having a wedding beyond 20 or so people, it's just too big of a risk. What if he got loose when things are hectic? What if he needs to go potty at the wrong time? There are lots of other questions, but I think that's enough to add to the list that Lucy already gave.

I *love* the idea of having him be part of your engagement photos though!!

Thanks, Tammy! I appreciate the more questions! You guys both have me convinced that although I'm in love with her....its best for her to hang out at home...engagement pics it is!

 

[stepcutgirl]

I would love to have my dog in my wedding. I know he couldn't handle it though. I wish I had him in my epics but we had to travel pretty far to do our photos and I knew he wouldn't do well. If however I thought he could make it through the wedding i'd have him in it in a heart beat!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I love dogs in weddings. We invited all of our relatives' dogs to our wedding, though only 4 actually came. We had planned for our dog to be IN the wedding, but he became a little overwhelmed the day of the wedding with strangers running all over the place and in an unfamiliar setting. As laid back as he is, he just seemed "off", so I let him stay in the house during the ceremony and he just came out for pics. I'd hand-made this pretty dark red satin leash and everything, haha. Anyway, my point is that you should have a backup plan just in case the dog is overwhelmed by everything happening that day.

But dogs and weddings are the best!

 

[Haven]

NEL--That is the EXACT picture that popped into my mind when I read the title of this thread! I just came in here to write "I hope NEL sees this!"

Look at that big, beautiful boy!

 

[lulu66]

HEY NEWENGLANDLADY (not to be stalker-ish or threadjack too much) i noticed your adorable pic is named "byronwedding." i happen to be related to some byron's in new jersey. thought it was a funny coincidence!!

 

[swingirl]

I've yet to meet a dog that didn't sniff my crotch upon meeting. I would hate to have my party dress end up with a nose dot near the crotch.

 

[Autumnovember]

I've yet to meet a dog that didn't sniff my crotch upon meeting. I would hate to have my party dress end up with a nose dot near the crotch.

My dog does not do that, to anyone or ever.

 

[Autumnovember]

I love dogs in weddings. We invited all of our relatives' dogs to our wedding, though only 4 actually came. We had planned for our dog to be IN the wedding, but he became a little overwhelmed the day of the wedding with strangers running all over the place and in an unfamiliar setting. As laid back as he is, he just seemed "off", so I let him stay in the house during the ceremony and he just came out for pics. I'd hand-made this pretty dark red satin leash and everything, haha. Anyway, my point is that you should have a backup plan just in case the dog is overwhelmed by everything happening that day.

But dogs and weddings are the best!

That picture is absolutely awesome. I'm going to weigh my options...thanks for sharing your experiences

 

[yssie]

I love dogs in weddings. We invited all of our relatives' dogs to our wedding, though only 4 actually came. We had planned for our dog to be IN the wedding, but he became a little overwhelmed the day of the wedding with strangers running all over the place and in an unfamiliar setting. As laid back as he is, he just seemed "off", so I let him stay in the house during the ceremony and he just came out for pics. I'd hand-made this pretty dark red satin leash and everything, haha. Anyway, my point is that you should have a backup plan just in case the dog is overwhelmed by everything happening that day.

But dogs and weddings are the best!

Oh, LOVE that pic NEL

 

[NovemberBride]

AutumNovember,

Are you getting married in a church or temple? If so, I'd check with them first to see what they would allow before you get your hopes up. I can't imagine most houses of worship would allow a dog inside (other than a service dog) or allow a dog to participate in a religious ceremony.

 

[CurlySue]

We considered having our dog participate in our ceremony, but opted against it. Our venue welcomes pets, but when we thought about the logistics involved and considered the fact that we'd need someone around to take care of him before/during/after the ceremony, we decided it likely wasn't worth it. We didn't want to burden any of our guests with that responsibility, and we definitely didn't want to incur additional costs to pay someone to do it.

Like you had suggested - we did do a portion of our engagement shots with him, and that was wonderful! Before our official shoot, our photog came to our house and took pictures of us in the backyard, walking him around the neighborhood, etc. It made for some great "family pictures," but I will say that it's kind of difficult to do. I found that I was really focused on what our dog was doing during the pictures, rather than focused on taking good pictures with my fiance. Despite that - we did get some really nice photos out of it!

 

[nkarma]

Definitely have your dog in your engagement shots. My aunt and uncle did that and the dog is now deceased but they have all these professional framed shots in their house with their beloved dog.