dog in the ceremony

MegieM · December 2010

So this might seem weird to some of you, but my fiance and I have a black lab who is almost a child to us, and so we will be including him in the ceremony. (He'll be leaving before the reception though!) One of my bridesmaids has said she's happy to walk with him down the aisle, and he's a pretty well behaved dog, so I'm not concerned about him sitting still. I'm just wondering if anyone here has seen dogs in weddings before and has any tips... I'm specifically trying to brainstorm ways to "dress" him up (I won't put clothes on him, don't worry!) I'm thinking maybe flowers around his neck or something. Any suggestions?

shortee426 · December 2010

My friend's sister had her dog as the "flower dog." They just put a wreath of flowers around her neck.

trix1223 · December 2010

Bad idea. Here's a couple of links to past conversations about this:

http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_ringer-bearer-german-shepherd

http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_dogs-wedding-party?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:37Discussion:287439c9-a19e-4ccb-a862-102510056332Post:59386f45-9a8a-4b51-b0b4-cc20f88287db

SaraAndrew2010 · December 2010

A dog is not a child

Lisa50 · December 2010

My only suggestion is to re-think this idea. You may have a wedding guest (or more) that is afraid of, or allergic to, dogs. I will admit that I am slightly afraid of dogs and would be a wee bit freaked out if I saw a dog walk down (or is that up?) the aisle. "And what if it gets away?" would be my constant fear ... I'd rather focus on the bride and groom, to be honest. Just my $0.02.

Manwaithiel · December 2010

Please don't.

HobokensFury · December 2010

Sorry but I'm not a fan of dogs in weddings. Too many what ifs...

schadbourne · December 2010

people on here wont like it

that being said....if your ceremony is outside i would say why not. If its inside the worry would be being in a closed spaced for people with allergies and the doggy bathroom issue.

amyn1919 · December 2010

It's YOUR wedding and do what YOU want to do!!!!

I will be having my dogs in my wedding also! If your dogs are well-behaved it won't be a problem. My dogs are walking down the aisle and then they are going to a dog hotel for the night. Everyone that is going to be at my wedding likes my dogs, so there is no fear or allergy issue. People that are not "dog people" would not understand why you would want them in, but i support it!! The positives outweigh any negatives for me!

vhalbeck · December 2010

I've seen this done- and I think the flower wreath is a great idea!

it's your wedding, please do what you want.

iambuddah · December 2010

I am all for it, my dogs would be in mine but they are not well enough behaved. Give it a go, it's your wedding.

kristinanddan · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_dog-ceremony-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:83a38394-ab6e-45c0-9853-4e269fb7f67ePost:368ef4ee-e591-4360-a0c7-97fe96151fe2">Re: dog in the ceremony</a>:
[QUOTE]It's YOUR wedding and do what YOU want to do!!!! I will be having my dogs in my wedding also! If your dogs are well-behaved it won't be a problem. My dogs are walking down the aisle and then they are going to a dog hotel for the night. Everyone that is going to be at my wedding likes my dogs, so there is no fear or allergy issue. People that are not "dog people" would not understand why you would want them in, but i support it!! The positives outweigh any negatives for me!
Posted by amyn1919[/QUOTE]

A) Just because it's your wedding day it doesn't mean you become magically entitled to do whatever the hell you want with no regard for others - especially when the others are your invited guests.
Saying <em>IT'S MY DAYYYYYY = </em>uber bratty and entitled in my book.

B) I love my dog so very much, he is basically our child right now, and I do not believe dogs belong at weddings.

C) What are the positives? You get some cute pictures, and that's about it. The dog doesn't give a darn that it's at your wedding - if anything it could totally be freaked out by being around such a large group of people, which certainly doesn't happen often, if ever, in your dog's life.

Now would you like some negatives? In addition to the dog being afraid/nervous/reactive, you have: dog having to go to the bathroom, dog barking through wedding vows, the allergies and/or fears of guests, the dog just generally being a distraction.

I'm sorry, but dogs have no place at weddings.

B)

Simply Fated · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_dog-ceremony-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:83a38394-ab6e-45c0-9853-4e269fb7f67ePost:22920a71-22cc-489a-b8fd-e9742dfe989c">Re: dog in the ceremony</a>:
[QUOTE]My only suggestion is to re-think this idea. You may have a wedding guest (or more) that is afraid of, or allergic to, dogs. I will admit that I am slightly afraid of dogs and would be a wee bit freaked out if I saw a dog walk down (or is that up?) the aisle. "And what if it gets away?" would be my constant fear ... I'd rather focus on the bride and groom, to be honest. Just my $0.02.
Posted by Lisa50[/QUOTE]
Add another 2 cents to the total, please.

If I was at a wedding and a dog was running around, I'd be really annoyed. I love dogs, but I am not a dog person.

MegieM · December 2010

I'm sorry if I didn't pose this question correctly. I'm not asking IF we should have the dog in the ceremony, this has already been decided. In fact we picked the venue based on the fact that they would allow our dog. I am an animal trainer by profession, and the dog in question is formerly of the guide dog for the blind program. I have though of all the factors people have mentioned here, and they really don't apply to this situation. He will be walked on leash down the aisle (by a bridesmaid who is also in the animal field, and is really excited to be "escorted" by our dog!) I have no doubt that he will sit quietly and won't be overwhelmed by a lot of people or need to go to the bathroom. I even have multiple friends who have already volunteered to watch him before and after the ceremony . All of our friends and family know us well and know how important our dog is in our lives, and I think they would be more shocked if the dog wasn't there!

I know a dog in the wedding isn't for everyone, and if it's not your thing, there's not need to comment on this thread. I am simply looking for the creative input of my fellow dog lovers for ideas on how to "dress him up" without going overboard and looking cheesy. Thanks for the constructive advice.

NOLAbridealmost · December 2010

I love the idea of a cute wreath of flowers that match the wedding flowers around his neck.

Or you could decorate his leash with the flowers and ribbons in the wedding colors.

Or you could do a cute patterned collar in the wedding colors.

To address some of the other people's concerns about guests who don't like/are allergic to dogs, maybe clearly put the dog in the programs where you list the rest of the wedding party to put those individuals on alert that they might not want to sit in an aisle seat.

aerinpegadrak · December 2010

I have to admit that as a guest, I probably wouldn't be paying much attention to the ceremony; I'd be watching the dog and waiting for the inevitable mayhem to happen.

linna125 · December 2010

We are also having our 10-year-old yellow Lab in the ceremony, and everyone at our wedding knows how important our dog is to us and that he will be there. We're planning outdoors, and next to a pond in a wedding garden, so our dog will definitely be on a leash. The venue has already agreed that the dog can be part of our ceremony.
The plan is that we have a reliable dog sitter who will take him on a walk and get him exercised and fed before bringing him to the ceremony site about an half an hour before ceremony for photos, and then we'll have the dog on a leash sitting up front with my groom and a reliable groomsman, a short ceremony, then dog will be walked back down the aisle by a groomsman who also knows how to handle him, and then the dog sitter will whisk the dog out of the venue after the ceremony is over.
I have seen dogs with a collar of flowers, but we're using our dog as a "ring-bearer". My fiance thinks we can get the dog in a tux, but as we don't have much luck keeping him in a Halloween costume, I'm just as happy if he has a bow-tie collar.
Let me know how yours goes - I'd be happy to hear any ideas that we haven't thought of!

Robyn5298 · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_dog-ceremony-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:83a38394-ab6e-45c0-9853-4e269fb7f67ePost:3d24a3f0-dc84-4b20-8c4f-d945a2123072">Re: dog in the ceremony</a>:
[QUOTE] We are also having our 10-year-old yellow Lab in the ceremony, and everyone at our wedding knows how important our dog is to us and that he will be there. We're planning outdoors, and next to a pond in a wedding garden, so our dog will definitely be on a leash. The venue has already agreed that the dog can be part of our ceremony. The plan is that we have a reliable dog sitter who will take him on a walk and get him exercised and fed before bringing him to the ceremony site about an half an hour before ceremony for photos, and then we'll have the dog on a leash sitting up front with my groom and a reliable groomsman, a short ceremony, then dog will be walked back down the aisle by a groomsman who also knows how to handle him, and then the dog sitter will whisk the dog out of the venue after the ceremony is over. I have seen dogs with a collar of flowers, but we're using our dog as a "ring-bearer". My fiance thinks we can get the dog in a tux, but as we don't have much luck keeping him in a Halloween costume, I'm just as happy if he has a bow-tie collar. Let me know how yours goes - I'd be happy to hear any ideas that we haven't thought of!
Posted by linna125[/QUOTE]
Linna - I think you've planned this out very well!

I vote for bow tie only. Some dogs don't mind being dressed up but since your dog isn't one of them, why make him miserable? My friend's dog has a regular tie collar that he wears every day - he looks like a businessman, its very cute!

lilcassers · December 2010

I am a huge fan of flowers and bows but I am trying to think of something more masculine for a boy dog... hmm. I may get back to you if I think of it!

DanielleZZ · December 2010

I really like the flower wreath idea : )

Summer2011Bride · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_ceremony-ideas_dog-ceremony-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:10Discussion:83a38394-ab6e-45c0-9853-4e269fb7f67ePost:38f09376-0151-46ec-8cea-32dc9af4fbc3">Re: dog in the ceremony</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm sorry if I didn't pose this question correctly. I'm not asking IF we should have the dog in the ceremony, this has already been decided. In fact we picked the venue based on the fact that they would allow our dog. I am an animal trainer by profession, and the dog in question is formerly of the guide dog for the blind program. I have though of all the factors people have mentioned here, and they really don't apply to this situation. He will be walked on leash down the aisle (by a bridesmaid who is also in the animal field, and is really excited to be "escorted" by our dog!) I have no doubt that he will sit quietly and won't be overwhelmed by a lot of people or need to go to the bathroom. I even have multiple friends who have already volunteered to watch him before and after the ceremony . All of our friends and family know us well and know how important our dog is in our lives, and I think they would be more shocked if the dog wasn't there! I know a dog in the wedding isn't for everyone,<strong> and if it's not your thing, there's not need to comment on this thread. </strong> I am simply looking for the creative input of my fellow dog lovers for ideas on how to "dress him up" without going overboard and looking cheesy. Thanks for the constructive advice.
Posted by MegieM[/QUOTE]

But you didn't give all these details in your first post, such as being a dog trainer, it's a former guide dog, etc. People can only comment on what you WRITE.

As for the bolded part, once you put your ideas out here on the message boards, you WILL get comments from everyone, whether they agree with you or not. It's just not going to happen that you will only hear from people who validate you. The posters who disagreed with you gave you very good drawbacks to consider if you hadn't already, such as:
Do you know for a FACT that EVERY guest and EVERY S/O your guests bring will not be afraid--or worse, allergic--to dogs? Unless I knew that 100% sure, I probably still wouldn't do it, no matter how well-trained the animal was. What if a cousin at the last minute decides to bring a date who is allergic? There just seem to be too many variables here, but good luck with it!

MegieM · December 2010

Thanks so much for all the ideas. I hadn't thought to decorate the leash (in fact, I hadn't even thought to get a new leash, which I will definitely do!) I am hoping that someone will need their bridesmaid dress altered, and I can use the extra fabric to make him a collar of sorts. Has anyone seen a pattern to make a homemade collar or bow tie?

I'm not worried about guests being scared or allergic, though I'm sure this is a concern to some. Everyone we are inviting has met our dog, and we won't being inviting anyone w/guest unless we know their sig. other.

Our wedding isn't until October of 2011, so if anyone who's said they're planning something similar gets married first, I'd love to hear how it goes. Thanks again!

pretzelgrrl · December 2010

This is a link to a best pet bow that is really cute
http://www.advantagebridal.com/bpewebow.html

psuxray07 · December 2010

Our Golden Retriever is going to be our ring bearer. There are no children in the family, and Buddy is perfect for it. He's one of the most well behaved dogs I've ever seen. Anyway, I agree with your statement on how it applies to your situation. Everyone's situation is different with their guests. We have it on our wedding website that he is in the wedding party and everyone is excited to see him. He will be staying in a pet friendly hotel with us that night.

Back to the original question, lol... Buddy is going to wear a bowtie collar. The guy at the tux rental place said he would let us use one for free for him. I thought about the whole tux thing, but I didn't want to spend the money, lol, and he would probably be hot since he has a ton of fur. The leash decorating is a cute idea, too.

amgrossman · December 2010

I second the bow tie!

My dog *might* also be in my wedding and I think he'll look best and feel most comfortable in a bow-tie.

As for a leash... if your willing to splurge, I think a beaded show lead would look really nice. You can get them in all sorts of colors and kinds of beads and their thin enough to not take away from the dog itself (like show leads are supposed to be "invisible")

http://www.beadedshowleads.com/

or type "beaded show leads" into google search.

For anyone else interested in dogs in wedding, Martha Stewart has a great collection:

http://www.marthastewart.com/gallery?galleryId=wedding_pets

laciedsmith · December 2010

Totally understand! Our dog goose is out child too! We got married in a church and planned on having him in the ceremony. We listed him on the website, in the program and so on as our "ring bearer" we even ordered him a bow tie to match the groomsmen!

Unfortunately our contact at the church changed less than a month before our big day and our new contact was a real piece of work. Not only did she prohibit us from bringing Goose in the church she wouldn't even let us play our slideshow while people were being seated in the ceremony! Ugh!

It is our one and only regret about the day- not having Goose there and not having a picture of the three of us together. Looking back I would have brought him anyways.... would she really have stopped the ceremony and made him leave? Maybe not.... Go for it and post pictures!

I got to take photos with him before the ceremony- and he was in the background of the "getting ready" pictures... just wish we had a "family pic" from the big day....

trix1223 · December 2010

lacie, I work in a church, and yes, our minister most certainly WOULD have stopped the ceremony if you tried to bring a dog into a worship service, which is what a wedding is in our church.

If your venue tells you that you can't do something because it's their rules, I'd find it incredibly disrespectful of you to go ahead and try to pull it anyway.

You don't have to like the church and their rules, but it's their building, so it's their rules.

One last thought: (and this is from a dog lover. Between two of our children, there are four large dogs, and we love them all). For those who say "Our dog is our child"~the saying, which is so true is "Once you have a baby, the dog is just a dog."

Erica1011 · December 2010

I understand where you are coming from! My bulldog is def my baby. (And people with kids get pretty pissed about the comparision of a dog to a kid, as you've seen in some of the above posts. I tell people like that to just get over it! I don't have kids yet and he's my baby/son. If I wanna spoil him like a child, I will!)

I thought about having him in my wedding but ended up thinking it'll be too much of a hassle in the end. So what I am doing is looking fro a pet friendly hotel. So I can have him with me while I am getting ready and take a few pics with me and my fiance when we are all dressed up. He is such a big part of our lives, it would be weird to not have him included in some manner.

As for dressing him up... I'm looking for a bow tie and maybe doggy-costume "cuff links" if he will allow that. He might get annoyed with them, in that case it would just be the bow tie.

dog in the ceremony

Re: dog in the ceremony

Choose Another Board

Search Boards