Dogs or no dogs?

dietrajade

 

bethsmiles

No dogs. Some people are allergic, some people are afraid of dogs, and it's difficult to know how your dogs are going to react to being in that situation. Not to mention that logistically it's pain. Who is going watch the dogs during the ceremony? Who is bringing them to the ceremony? Who has to leave and take the dogs back home?

My suggestion is that if you are getting ready at home then take a few pictures with the dogs and leave it at that.

AddieCake

I am not a fan. 

What will you do with the dogs after the ceremony?  Who has to leave to take them home?  What if they get scared and freak out?  What if people are allergic? Who will clean up after them if they poop?  Do you really want to risk starting your wedding and having your dog suddenly take a poop or pee walking down the aisle?  

dietrajade

 

MairePoppy

Your dogs can't appreciate the significance of your wedding, so there's not really anything in it for them. From their point of view, you will be taking them to a strange kennel, parading them in front of a bunch of strangers, in an unfamiliar place. Someone else will be caring for them at the ceremony and then sending them back to the kennel. After that your parents will be taking them home, while you go on your honeymoon. Don't you think they'll be confused?

dietrajade

 

Jen4948

Another vote for "don't bring your dogs."  They still need to be fed, walked, etc., and there will be strangers trying to pat them, make them do tricks, etc., not to mention those guests who are allergic to or otherwise not comfortable around dogs.

MrsGandthebeag

My dog is my child too so I get it.  But, say no to the dogs in the wedding.  It's not worth it for all the points previously discussed.

itzMS

First of all, I love dogs.

But they will poo when you least want them too...and it will be the kind that not only smells delicious but also gets stuck in their hair.

QueerFemme

I love dogs.  I have four, and routinely foster and rescue.  So, I get the whole "dogs are my kids" thing.  We thought about having our petsitter bring the boys to the ceremony location so we could take photos with them, but ultimately decided against it.  Having them in the actual ceremony could have easily turned into a nightmare, even for our well behaved dogs.

If you want to include them, maybe take a bunch of cute photos of the dogs and use them as your table numbers. 

Viczaesar

No.

debs317

I respectfully have to disagree with the other brides here.  I have a 4 year old dog who is literally my child.  We do not have a ring bearer and he will be ours.  The best man will be walking him down the aisle and he will leave after the ceremony after taking a few pics.  We have hired our daily dog walker to take him home after pictures and stay with him overnight.  He is very well trained and we asked our guests in advance to find out about allergies, there was really no way that we were not going to make sure that this happened.

winelover123

Before dogs in weddings were super popular, my aunt had her dog at her wedding. It's really no big deal so long as you know your dog's personality (does it like attention? Will it bark at strangers? and so on) and you pay someone to take it home for you - or to the kennel, in your situation. Just because of logistics, I'd say no to having dogs in your wedding. It seems like a pain to kennel them. If you ultimately decide to have them, have someone within the BP walk them on a leash. You don't want Spot to go running after a squirrel during the ceremony.

mlg78

If you want, have pics with your dogs beforehand but don't bring them to the ceremony.

ashleynhobby

   While the other brides have very valid points I think having dogs in wedding ceremonies is fabulous! We are the first ones to have dogs during a ceremony at our church and I am so thankful that they will be with us on our special day. 

   I understand that they don't know what's going on, but I do, and it would be like not having my best friend/own child with me. My dog is the "ring bearer" and my FI's dog is the "flower girl". My sister's boyfriend, who is very familiar with both dogs, will be escorting them on a leash down the aisle. He will sit next to my parents and if they get to rowdy he can take them out the side door. 

   I've had my dog since he was 5 weeks old and he's almost 9. I don't know how much longer I have with him and it would be very upsetting not to have him with me. My parents live just down the road from the church and they will be taken back to the house after the ceremony.

   I understand your situation is quite different from ours and if it's going to cause you more stress then it's worth then I vote no. However, if you can't imagine not having them there with you then I say YES!!! Good Luck!

Viczaesar

In Response to Re: Dogs or no dogs?:
[QUOTE]I respectfully have to disagree with the other brides here.  I have a 4 year old dog who is literally my child.  We do not have a ring bearer and he will be ours.  The best man will be walking him down the aisle and he will leave after the ceremony after taking a few pics.  We have hired our daily dog walker to take him home after pictures and stay with him overnight.  He is very well trained and we asked our guests in advance to find out about allergies, there was really no way that we were not going to make sure that this happened.
Posted by debs317[/QUOTE]
Literally?  I don't think you know what that means.

tiny speck

No, no, no. To me the fact that guests (and outside vendors--I know you said the venue allows dogs) could be allergic is reason enough not to include dogs in the wedding. Others have brought up other excellent points as well, and I really don't have anything else to add except to reiterate that I don't think it's a good idea.

kmbryant2413

In Response to Re: Dogs or no dogs?:
[QUOTE]I respectfully have to disagree with the other brides here.  I have a 4 year old dog who is literally my child.  We do not have a ring bearer and he will be ours.  The best man will be walking him down the aisle and he will leave after the ceremony after taking a few pics.  We have hired our daily dog walker to take him home after pictures and stay with him overnight.  He is very well trained and we asked our guests in advance to find out about allergies, there was really no way that we were not going to make sure that this happened.
Posted by debs317[/QUOTE]

Unless you birthed him, he is literally not your child. I love animals, I have a ton, I've worked at a vets office, yada ya, but you still shouldn't do this. As much as I love animals, I have been bit several times and are wary of other peoples animals. You mean to tell me you asked each and every one of your guests about allergies and fears? Or did you just say 'Oh Gina has a dog, so she must not be allergic.' I'm allergic to animals that I am not constantly around (IE other dogs) and have a fear that I don't go broadcasting everywhere. 

Obviously you're going to do what you want, and you know your guests best...but I would think long and hard on this. I'd be miserable during your wedding.

ETA: Tinyspeck had a GREAT point. Did you ask your vendors if they are afraid or allergic to dogs? Or your photographer? Somehow, I doubt it.

Double ETA: What if something happened, someone spooked him or dropped the leash and he took off? You're nowhere near home, what if you can't catch him and you spend the rest of your day HOPEFULLY trying to find your dog? Obviously you haven't thought this out, if this dog is your 'child'.

krispi921

We have 2 dogs, and they played a part in how we met. We will not be having them in the ceremony, but we will be taking them to the park this weekend to have engagement pictures done with them. (My parents will also be coming to help keep an eye on the dogs while we take other pictures without them.) Is that an option for including them while not adding to your wedding weekend stress?

Briannasteve

Our two dogs ARE our children. We decided to have someone pick up our dogs after the ceremony and bring them to where we are taking pictures. This way we get some pictures with them but they are not disrupting the ceremony in any way. Im just going to put a sheet over my dress at first incase they get over excited and jump, then remove the sheet once they calm down and we can take pictures.

Briannasteve

n Response to Re: Dogs or no dogs?:
[QUOTE]We have 2 dogs, and they played a part in how we met. We will not be having them in the ceremony, but we will be taking them to the park this weekend to have engagement pictures done with them. (My parents will also be coming to help keep an eye on the dogs while we take other pictures without them.) Is that an option for including them while not adding to your wedding weekend stress?
Posted by krispi921[/QUOTE]

we also used them in the engagement shoot.... great idea.

boomboom1243

we were going to have our dog walk down with the maid of honor. Ive since decided against it mainly because we dont want to have to ask anyone to leave to bring him home and trying to think who will be taking care of him the day of. Plus he gets nervous and he also just gets super excited when he sees me so i know he will be all over the place. I am boarding him at a overnight kennel near the venue . its more like a camp for dogs he will have a blast.

LDubHawksFan

We love our dog too, and although everyone kept asking if he would be a part, the answer was heck no! For all of the reasons above, we couldn't risk having him there. Plus we, and our families were busy leading up to the wedding didn't need to be busing our dog around. Our compromise was to take some e pics with him. Before we went down to the beach, our photog met us at a park near our home we spent maybe 5 mins taking pics with him but they are great. We had several in a photo play list at our reception, so he was there in spirit!

Briannasteve

In Response to Re:Dogs or no dogs?:
[QUOTE]We love our dog too, and although everyone kept asking if he would be a part, the answer was heck no! For all of the reasons above, we couldn't risk having him there. Plus we, and our families were busy leading up to the wedding didn't need to be busing our dog around. Our compromise was to take some e pics with him. Before we went down to the beach, our photog met us at a park near our home we spent maybe 5 mins taking pics with him but they are great. We had several in a photo play list at our reception, so he was there in spirit!
Posted by lwoehlk[/QUOTE]

were actually really lucky that our venue is actually in the same town we live in, so it makes it pretty easy for someone to pick our dogs up and bring them back. but thats our luck. if our venue wasnt in the same town, i dont think we would be having our dogs involved.... they are on the grooms cake though.

dietrajade

 

dietrajade

 

Jen4948

In Response to Re: Dogs or no dogs?:
[QUOTE]I've been to a wedding where there were 2 dogs involved in the ceremony.  It was only natural because my friend is a Vet and animals are her life.  Her dogs are her children.  They had it set up really well to have two "dog wranglers"  (kid you not, that was in the program) and the dogs were the ring bearers.  It went off without a hitch. If your dogs are your family, do what you want, it's YOUR wedding.  There are ways to make it work.  And seriously?  Just make sure they are properly walked if there is a concern about them deficating.  Are the dogs really going to be that close to the crowd other than a brief second while walking down the aisle to warrant the allergy concern?  If they are nervous, change your plans at the last second, but I have to disagree with all the other "nays".  LIfe is too short, do what you want. 
Posted by glennajoy[/QUOTE]

No, don't "do what you want" at the expense of the people you want to take time, money, and energy out of their lives to attend a one-day out of yours event.  It stops being "YOUR EVENT" the minute you ask a single other person to get involved.  People take priority over dogs.

jlhelms10

I really would have liked to have our two little dogs in our wedding also but I know that it would be more of a hassle than anything.  I didn't want to have take the experience away from anyone to have them look after our dogs.  

Maybe if you have an enagement picture or just a cute picture with your babies you could have that posted somewhere at the reception.

alk052

Yes dogs!  If you're having an outside ceremony, there is no reason your 'kids' can't be there.  I've had quite a few friends do just that at their weddings.  Or you could do pictures before the ceremony with them so they are sharing some part of your day with you

Jen4948

In Response to Re: Dogs or no dogs?:
[QUOTE]Yes dogs!  If you're having an outside ceremony, there is no reason your 'kids' can't be there.  I've had quite a few friends do just that at their weddings.  Or you could do pictures before the ceremony with them so they are sharing some part of your day with you
Posted by alk052[/QUOTE]

Do the pictures before the ceremony.  Don't bring the dogs to the ceremony.

There are plenty of reasons her "kids" may not be able to be there:
1) Nobody to look after or clean up after them
2) Allergic guests
3) Dogs not allowed at venue (not all outdoor venues allow pets)

All of which take priority over anyone's dog being their "kid."

marymargaretxo

I absolutely LOVE dogs, especially my own, but I have to say no to the dogs at the ceremony, unless it's an outdoorsy-type wedding. Dogs can be unpredictable and they're a risk!