Bring Your Pet to Your Wedding

Wedding days are special, sacred events where your entire family, friends, and loved ones can gather to share in your and your new spouse’s love, celebrate, and be happy for you. Nowhere does it say that these loved ones or family members have to be human!

Increasingly, couples are choosing to have their furry friends as a crucial part of their big day. Whether your favourite companion is a dog, cat, rabbit, hamster or anything else, if you want to have everyone you love at your wedding, having your pet there really is a no-brainer! And besides, who doesn’t love having an animal around to pet and have a cuddle with?

That being said, it can be difficult to integrate your pet into your wedding ceremony without it seeming like a gimmick or just shoehorned into your overall wedding theme. There is also the added question of what to do with them during the wedding reception while the toasts, meals and subsequent partying occur. With plenty to consider, let’s see how you can bring your pet to your wedding and share your big day with your furry best friend.

Ring Bearers

Probably the most popular and traditional way to have your pet as a part of your wedding is to have them as the ring bearer. Normally, you’d tie the rings on a little pillow to their collar or on their lead if you have one of your bridal party guiding them down the aisle and looking after them throughout the ceremony.

This is obviously a great option for your beloved pet to be an integral part of your big day and have their moment to shine, however, it’s not a good idea for every animal. After all, if you’ve got a big crowd and your pet is a little skittish around strangers, this is not going to be a good combination.

Before the big day, test out how you’re attaching the rings to your furry friend to make sure they don’t agitate them or that they can’t get at them with their teeth. The last thing you want is your pet eating the wedding rings outside the ceremony venue. Not ideal!

Another thing to think about is the music choice for walking down the aisle. Pets respond differently to different styles of music, so remember to test out their reactions before your wedding day.

Dress for success

Of course, with such a big occasion and so many photos being taken, you want your pet to look their best, whatever that means to you. It could be the ever-so-cute and timeless look of a little dickie bow around their neck. It might be a full outfit if that’s something your pet is okay with, and there are a lot of options.

A new and interesting option that’s becoming increasingly popular is a flower crown for your pet. Whether they’re strutting down the aisle alongside your wedding party or sitting patiently watching their mom and dad tie the knot, having your pet wear a flower crown is an Instagram-worthy statement piece that brings them more holistically into your theme.

Realistically, this isn’t super hard to pull off as flower crowns for more folksy, hippy-chic weddings are really popular and flower crowns for flower girls have long been a thing. It’s because of this, that any decent florist will know how to make this work while tying it into the rest of your wedding floral arrangements.

If your pet isn’t comfortable with having unusual things on their heads – it’s more common than you’d think – then you can mix it up with a flower collar or a paw sized corsage. This way, they can look the part and stay comfortable and cool throughout your big day.

Wedding Photo Inspiration

Of course, any wedding is full of beautiful family photos where everyone is dressed in their best outfits. Obviously, your pet is an integral part of your family so you need to consider them when you’re planning any poses or set ups for your wedding photo shoot.

For example, if you’re having pets at your wedding, it’s probably not a great idea to have a fireworks display at your reception. Similarly, if you want to have sparklers in your photos, you’re not necessarily going to want your pet there too. Save those for when someone in your party has taken them on a lap or for some water.

What you can do with your wedding photo shoot is have a lot of fun with your pet. Play with them and get some really joyful, fun, candid shots that will look amazing. So often wedding photos can look stilted or like the laughter is forced for the camera, but with a pet around, that definitely won’t be a problem!

Final tips

Okay, let’s wrap this up with a few final tips!

Double check that none of your guests are seriously allergic to your pet, or if they have a slight allergy, they’re sat further away and are given pre-warning so they can take some anti-allergy medication before they come. No one wants tons of sneezing through the vows.

Before your big day arrives, make sure that your lovely pet doesn’t have an adverse reaction to the flowers that you’re using for the wedding. Even if you’re not going down the flower crown route, there are going to be plenty of floral arrangements that may aggravate or irritate your pet and you don’t want to have to deal with that on the happiest day of your life.

Pick a designated person in your party to look after your furry companion that they already know, and who doesn’t mind pet sitting during the wedding. Really, between getting ready, timings, getting between the ceremony and reception, and then all the speeches, dancing, and meals you’ve got to sort out, you’re not going to have time to keep checking in with your pet every five minutes. Make sure they’re being well looked after, and a little bit spoiled!

Dogs in Flower Crowns

When I came across this submission in my inbox I just couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear! Dogs in flower crowns! And not just flower crowns, but also a few floral collars and cuffs. They’re the cutest, and these weddings-ready looks will make your pup proud to walk down the aisle with the two of you. Flower Talk and I Heart Weddings must have had so much fun creating and shooting this delightful editorial.

Aren’t they just so adorable? Each has his or her own look and they certainly are darling! Which is your favourite?

Credits: Photography: I Heart Weddings // Floral Design: Flower Talk.