I think I could fill an entire Pinterest board with photos of pets at weddings. They’re always so adorable in their little wedding outfits, or standing next to the well-dressed bride and groom. Pets make for special wedding photos, so the idea of bringing your pet to your wedding sounds like a great one up front. However, it’s important to determine whether your pet should be at your wedding – and how it’s going to work out logistically – well in advance of the big day.
Here are some questions to ask yourself before decided whether your pet should be part of your wedding. Work through these questions with your spouse-to-be in order to come up with a plan of action for your big day:
Is your venue pet-friendly?
If you’re intent on bringing your pet to your wedding from the beginning of the planning process, this is a question you will likely ask before choosing your venue. However, if you decide later on to bring your pet, don’t forget to ask this question!
“Pet-friendly” goes beyond whether or not your pet is allowed to be there. Consider where your pet will be staying, whether or not they’ll be able to wander around, and where they can relieve themselves. And don’t forget pet-friendly transportation – how is your pet going to get to the venue in the first place?
Additionally, if you have more than one venue (e.g., church and reception venue), make sure they are both pet-friendly. If not, do you have a plan for getting your pet to the pet-friendly venue? Is there somewhere they can stay while you’re at the non pet-friendly venue?
How does your pet act around crowds/loud noises?
As nice as it may sound to have your pet at your wedding (and in the wedding photos), is your pet going to be comfortable with it? Consider how they normally act around crowds and/or loud noises before making your decision. If your pet is extremely nervous around people or simply prefers to be on their own, it may make more sense for them to stay at home.
Use fireworks as an example, since many pets are afraid of fireworks. If your pet is disturbed by fireworks, you’re not going to take them to a fireworks display. The same should go for your wedding.
We know that Giorgio is usually find around people, especially when he’s getting a ton of attention. However, like any dog, he does get a bit bothered by noise. So we ensured that we had somewhere to put him when the wedding really kicked off. This allowed us to minimize the time he was alone, but also keep discomfort at a minimum for him. So it worked out perfectly!
Does it make sense logistically?
How will your pet get to the wedding? Where will they go after the wedding? Are you going to be responsible for them throughout the wedding? Think through the logistics of bringing your pet through your wedding and make sure it makes sense. You don’t want to add any additional responsibilities for yourself, but also don’t necessarily want to make someone else responsible. So make sure you have a plan of action in place.
Our Pet-Friendly Wedding Experience:
For our wedding, we were planning to leave for our honeymoon the day after, and Giorgio would be going to stay with Sean’s sister. Since she doesn’t live in London and our wedding wasn’t in London, it actually made more sense for the handover to happen at the wedding venue. In order to make the wedding as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved, we split the responsibilities:
- Giorgio stayed in Sean’s hotel room the night before the wedding
- In the morning, Sean dropped Giorgio off in my brother’s hotel room – since he wasn’t a part of the wedding party, he was responsible for getting Giorgio (and his things) to the wedding
- We brought Giorgio’s food for the day, as well as his crate, to the wedding venue
- Giorgio hung out with my brother throughout the wedding ceremony – he had a front row seat, too (though he didn’t stand as I walked down the aisle, which was a bit rude)
- During the canapés reception, while we went off to take photos, Giorgio was free to mingle with the guests. Our family and close friends kept an eye on him. We pulled him in for photos as needed
- Once the reception started, we put Giorgio in his crate in a separate building. With the loud noise and people dancing (and getting significantly more intoxicated throughout the evening), this was the safest option, and the one that would be best for Giorgio
- Someone checked on Giorgio during the evening, took him on a short walk, and fed him his dinner
- Giorgio went home with my brother so we did not need to worry about getting him back before heading for our bridal suite at a different hotel
Will you be distracted by your pet’s presence?
If you’re the type of person that always has to be around their pet when their pet is nearby, then you may not want them at the wedding. You don’t want to screw up your vows because you were watching the dog do something cute. And you don’t want to miss out great conversations with your guests because you’re chasing your pet around. If you think the pet will in any way take away from your overall wedding experience, leave them at home.
Our Pet-Friendly Wedding Experience:
Giorgio did a massive shake in the middle of the wedding which caused a ton of giggles, but he was extremely well-behaved other than that. Also, because our friends love him so much, we never felt like one of us had to be around him.
Are you going to be stressed out if your pet is there?
I say this in pretty much every wedding related blog post, but it’s SO important. At the end of the day, this is YOUR wedding and you should make every decision with that in mind. If having your pet at your wedding is going to leave you worried or stressed out, it’s probably best to leave them at home. You can take family photos with them another time! Don’t sacrifice your wedding day mental health just to have a few cute photos – it’s not worth it!
Our Pet-Friendly Wedding Experience:
We are so lucky to have the family and friends that we do. Giorgio was coddled by the entire bridal party while we were taking photos. My friend Megan pretty much served as my wedding coordinator for the day and, even though she wasn’t directly responsible for Giorgio, I knew that she wasn’t going to let anything get out of control. We never once felt like Giorgio would get away or cause any damage.
So having him there only added to our wedding day, which made bringing him totally worthwhile.
What role do you want your pet to have?
Is your pet going to have an actual role in the wedding, or do you just want to have them there for photos?
If your pet is going to be a ring bearer or have another role, think about whether they are actually capable of doing that. It’s super cute when it works out, but if you’re going to frustrated standing up there while your dog gets distracted or refuses to walk down the aisle, then it’s not worth it.
Our Pet-Friendly Wedding Experience:
Giorgio is 100% incapable of doing anything that he doesn’t want to do. So, we never planned on having him be a part of the wedding, but we did love having him there. His role was solely to be part of the photos. And we didn’t try to get him in all of the photos because, again, we knew that he wouldn’t look at the camera or sit when we needed him to sit.
It’s all about knowing your dog and how they’re going to act, and then choosing their role based on that.
What is your pet going to wear?
Once you decide to bring your pet to your wedding, you get to start making some more fun decisions, such as what outfit you are going to dress your pet in! The internet has some great options, so I’ve rounded up some of my favorites:
- Keep it simple but festive with a Dog Of Honor bandana or this snazzy Best Dog collar
- Go all out with a doggy tuxedo! This tuxedo bandana has a special spot for the rings, or go for a full tuxedo outfit.
- A classic bowtie is perfect for any dog. There’s this bowtie for doggy ring bearers or this simple bowtie that can be worn for any special occasions.
What Giorgio Wore to Our Wedding
Giorgio…well, Giorgio hates it when I dress him up. So a doggy tux was never going to be on the cards for our wedding. We purchased a dog bowtie, but it actually didn’t arrive in time. So he showed up in his everyday look – blue collar, and that’s it! We did tuck the American flag bandana into his collar for a few shots, but he was pretty naked for the rest of the day. He was freshly groomed, though, so was probably very happy to show off his haircut!
Tips for Bringing Your Pet to Your Wedding:
- Plan to have your pet groomed the week of the wedding so they are as clean as possible.
- Wet, muddy dogs and wedding dresses do not mix well. Think before picking up your pet for a photo! Do a paw check, be strategic about how you hold them and, if your groom is in a dark suit, just let them do most of the heavy lifting!
- Try to keep your pet on their normal feeding schedule – bring food to the venue and ask a friend to feed them if need be. The pet will be in a foreign environment, so it’s important to keep up as much of their normal routine as possible.
- Don’t forget to respect the venue – pick up after your dog and keep them out any of restricted areas.
So…Should you bring your pet to your wedding?
Was this post just an excuse for me to share all of the Giorgio wedding photos I have stored up? Maybe.
But really, we were so happy having Giorgio at our wedding, but I completely understand how it could’ve gone the other way and caused a lot of stress. The questions above are ones that I asked myself during our wedding planning process, ones that I’ve asked friends when they start planning their wedding, and ones that I think will help you make the decision that is best for you and your big day.
So, if you’re asking yourself whether or not you should have your pet at your wedding, I hope the above helped you come up with an answer. If not, hopefully you at least enjoyed the photos!
All photos in this post are by Mary Smith Photography.
Wedding Planning Tips
Our Wedding
And, of course, here are the rest of the wedding photos that star Giorgio:
