Woof Woof!

Woof Woof! 

Including Pets in Your Wedding

On their wedding day, brides and grooms want all of their closest friends and family around them to celebrate their happiness.  So naturally, some couples want their beloved pets included in the celebration! In many cases, a debate over whether a pet’s unpredictable behavior is worth the trouble ensues; but with careful planning, your pet can be included in the festivities, without loads of stress and worrying!

Here are a few things in mind when planning on including a pet in the wedding:

• Most often, the pet in question is a dog. In this case, you want to make sure you know how your pooch will react in a variety of situations. How does he deal with being in large groups of people? Does he obey and pay attention to you when there are distractions around? If you want to include your dog in the ceremony, you need to ensure he will behave and take part as planned, and avoid a disruption that will cause embarrassment or delays.

•  Don’t take responsibility for your pet on your own wedding day. It’s a much better idea to give doggie duty to someone else the pet is comfortable with, to allow you to mingle and enjoy your day. If you don’t want to burden one of your guests with the responsibility of pet sitting, then it might be a better idea to let the pet stay home.

• If your pet isn’t ready to participate in the ceremony, there are other ways you can include him in your special day. Pets create great photographic opportunities; let him hang around while the bridal party gets ready (but make sure he can be trusted with all the fragile fabrics around!). Or, just bring him out for photos between the ceremony and reception.

• It can be helpful to bring a pet’s toy or bedding to make him feel more at ease in large groups of people. Similarly, if he’s used to being on a leash, do so.

• Don’t let the pet outshine the bride and groom! Give the pet a small role, to add a dimension of fun to the wedding. But have the pet’s caretaker whisk him away after his job is done, to ensure the bride and groom are the focus of the day.

Pets can be wonderful, memorable additions to a wedding, and with proper planning, it can be done without it causing a problem. But if your pet is just too unpredictable, or you don’t think you’ll be able to manage it, making the decision to leave the pets at home would be wisest.

Hope that helps!

- Carina