Dog Wedding-Day Afternoon

Putting a pet in the wedding is no walk in the park. Here are some tricks for guiding your dog through the big day

By Nola Sarkisian-Miller
CTW Features

Image courtesy The French Connection

When wedding guests rise upon hearing the “Bridal Chorus” from Wagner’s Lohengrin opera, they don’t usually expect to see a canine trotting down the aisle.

Though not the norm, betrothed pet owners often want to include their pups in their special day, whether the tail-wagging creature is accompanying the bride on her march to the altar or looking spiffy in wedding day photos.

“People bond with their pets before they have their kids, so they can’t imagine that they won’t be part of their special day,” says Tracy French, owner of The French Connection, a wedding planning firm in San Antonio, Texas.

Of course, the idea is easier said than done. It’s hard to predict an animal’s behavior, and the logistics of managing an animal on one of the most stressful and meaningful days of one’s life is pretty ambitious, say wedding experts.

“You think it’s cute and easy, but like weddings themselves, everything’s much more complicated,” says Michael Willms, owner of Entertainment Design Events in Los Angeles.

French remembers a wedding that was delayed because the ring pillow that the dog was to wear during the ceremony went missing. Another couple, she says, was adamant that their dog be part of the ceremony and reception, but French was unable to find venues that accepted animals indoors. The consolation was a reception at a hotel that allowed the pet to stay in the hotel room.

Some dogs get to live the good life on their masters’ wedding days. Sedona wedding planner Karen Lynn has incorporated dogs into weddings held at upscale locales.

“They didn’t behave 100 percent,” Lynn says. “They stray a bit so the guests coaxed them, ‘C’mon, c’mon.’”

Willms suggests couples think it way over before deciding to include Fido on the big day itself. When couples plan for younger guests at weddings, they often have a special room set aside for the kids with their own baby-sitter, activities and pizza spread. He encourages couples to make the same investment for their furry friends by hiring a dog handler who can bring the pet to the rehearsal and the ceremony then take the pet back home. The pet wrangler also is in charge of canine treats and clean-up after any accidents.

The added expense of another professional is worth it, Willms says. Otherwise, disaster may ensue.

“With a wedding, you get one shot; it’s not a like a TV show that you can reshoot and reshoot,” he says.

Copyright © CTW Features

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