Dogs in Weddings

Posted on 10. Mar, 2010 by Annvi in Barkin' Doggie Bloggie, Fun Tidbits, Weddings

“Are you marrying the dog or me?” ~ Tobiah

We got Rocky in Feb 2008.  We got engaged in April 2008.  I would say that Rocky certainly served as the catalyst to our engagement.  Watching Tobiah pull out a raw hide from Rocky’s mouth out of fear that our Roo would choke to death or how he handled Rocky throwing up everywhere because Rocky got into something melted my heart.  I didn’t know that my lover boy could be so caring…so sensitive.  Rocky sealed the deal.

When I morphed into bridezilla, I had one requirement:  ROCKY WAS GOING TO BE THERE.  I didn’t care what else happened that day as long as my best bud, Rocky, was there.  I was ecstatic when I found a venue that would allow our pup to join in the festivities.  Having him there made a world of difference.  I was a nervous wreck that day- my make-up lady was 2 hours late, which got me all off schedule.  Seeing Rocky with my cute hubby-to-be allayed all my anxiety. Plus, I just have to say…look at how much happier Rocky is when I come in the picture. LOL.  I am Rocky’s favorite, I know.  Now that wedding season is approaching, I thought it would be a good time to do a post on having your cutie pie in your wedding.  I think it is a great idea!  Here are some tips that I learned from my own wedding:

1.  Have one of your friends or family members be in charge of the dog.  Someone your pup trusts and listens to well so that you can hand over the dog when you have more important things to take care of- like getting married. 

2.  Bring a water bowl for your pup.  As you can see from the picture, Rocky’s tongue is hanging way out of his mouth.  Great pic, but he was so thirsty!  Poor guy.  I think someone ended up giving him some ice cubes.

3.  We got married in Georgia at the end of May.  Although, getting Rocky to wear one of those dog tuxedo costumes would have been super cute, Rocky would have been uber uncomfortable and hot.  He is not used to wearing clothes, unless Tobiah isn’t around…

I got a friend to stitch a collar for him and tie on a bow tie.  I am sure you could get a tailor in your area to custom make some sort of attire for your pup.  I don’t think it would be too expensive since it is such a small amount of material.

4.  Choose a  wedding photographer that is comfortable taking pictures of pets.  I’d find out if they have pets because it was important to me that my photographer likes and understands pets.  Photographing pets is difficult especially on a day where photographing a pet is not the main focus.  Your photographers have to get a few good shots fast so they can move on to other parts of the event.  Ask to see pictures your photographers  have taken of pets in other weddings to get a better idea if your photographer is up for the task!

5.  Take your pup to the venue a few times before the event to ensure that your pet is familiar/comfortable with the area.

6.  Let your guests know there will be a dog at your wedding so that they are not unexpectedly surprised.  Some people are allergic/afraid/ do not approve of dogs in weddings.  People react much better when they are prepared.  A few of our guests were worried about having Rocky at the wedding.  I told them he would be on a leash the entire time and would have someone in charge on him at all times.

7.  Know your dog’s limitations.  Rocky is great with loud noises, big crowds, unfamiliar situations- as long as there is no food.  He has been known to jump up on tables at dinner parties and devour whatever is in sight.  This meant I had to get him in and out before any food was available.

8.  Make some time before the ceremony to exercise with your pup!  Have some fun!  I wanted Rocky to be as calm as possible and have no “accidents” during our ceremony.

9.  I knew that if I went to a wedding and saw a pup, it would have made me miss my own pup dearly.  We had many guests traveling from out of town to celebrate with us.  We set up a “Rocky table”  with treats for our guests from Rocky to take to their own dogs.  We hadn’t created barkin’ doggie biscuits yet.

I can’t think of anything else from my wedding.  Rocky got a lot of attention and had a ton of fun.  Neither of us regret having him there.  If you have any questions/comments- bark at us!  Plus, if you’d like to have some barkin’ doggie treats at your wedding- let us know!  We’d love to make that happen for you!

Cheers and Happy Barkin’!

Annvi and Tobiah

Tags: Dogs, Dogs in Weddings