How to Include Your Pets in Your Wedding
Our pets are so special & they fill up so much of our lives. They are our babies, best friends, and the best little helpers. They are a huge part of you & your partner’s story. Whether your pets are there in person, or their personality shines through your details, there are a lot of cute ways to include them in such a special day.
Here are a few ways to incorporate your pets in your wedding:
Give your dog a special “job”
Have your dogs walk down the aisle with wedding party members
Ask your florist to make a special flower collar for your pet
Have cake toppers that look like your pets
Create napkins with a design of your pet’s face
Name your signature drinks after them
Order custom cufflinks with your pet’s face on them
My bride, Allison, requested that Nugget & Corndog be included in a few of their detail photos.
Part of the Paw-ty: ideas for including your pets in your wedding
If you are able to bring your pets to your wedding venue, having a designated person to care for them will make your day so much easier. Wags & Garland and Wags Down the Aisle are two vendors that hang out with your pets while you’re busy getting ready. Not only do they give your little besties lots of love & attention, but they are able to transport them to & from the venue, while also keeping them safe. Your pets are able to hang out and be involved in a way that causes you no stress, and there’s no extra pressure on one of your guests to look after them.
Wags & Garland at Twin Willow Gardens, June 2023
If your pets are allowed at your venue, here are a few ways I’ve seen them be part of the paw-ty:
Guest greeter:
Hubert was in charge of saying hello & welcoming guests as they arrived to the ceremony space. Allison & Mike’s dog, Hubert, is an extroverted & happy little corgi. His personality fit perfectly to welcome guests as they arrived in the ceremony space. Allison & Mike’s dogs play a huge role in their love story — they met at the dog park — so they of course had to be given big roles for the big day!
2. Walk down the aisle with wedding party members:
Once Hubert was done welcoming everyone, he joined his brothers Hamish & Hobbes with members of Allison & Mike’s wedding party and got to walk down the aisle to celebrate their parents. They of course were in the full wedding party photos too :)
3. Flower Girl:
Lulu’s mom, Annie, loves flowers, so of course Lulu had to have a flower collar!! Both Annie & Mark adore Lulu and their day wouldn’t have been the same without her there! She got to walk down the aisle with one of Annie’s bridesmaids, be included in Wedding Party photos, & having a flower collar felt extra special :)
Lulu resting during mom & dad’s ceremony with Wags Down the Aisle at Laurel Creek Manor, August 2023
Ways to include your pets in details & decor
4. Cake Toppers that Look like Them
A loved one hand carved these cake toppers to look like the couple’s 3 dogs!
5. custom napkins with their face on them
Ruby couldn’t physically be at Caitlin & Dan’s wedding, but everyone still interacted with her through her custom napkins during cocktail hour!
6. signature drinks named after them
Saying, “I’ll have the Poet, please!” is way more fun than saying “I’ll have a margarita”, plus it gets your guests saying your pets’s names & feeling like they are there with us.
7. Custom Cufflinks with their faces
Jessica gifted Martín cufflinks with Sage & Poet’s faces on them. He got to wear their faces the rest of the day, which felt really special.
a few more photos for inspiration :)
