Is Fido or Fluffy going to be part of your wedding day? How to deal with pets in weddings

For many couples, their dog, cat or fine feathered friend is the first thing they have shared. Not having their beloved pet as part of their wedding day would just seem wrong. But including your pet adds a few layers of planning!

From Martha Stewart Weddings

Know your pet: If your dog is extremely well-behaved among strangers and always responds well to directions, then having Fido be your ring bearer might just work. But if Spot rarely listens, always jumps on the mailman and has been known to, well, mark his territory; he might not be the best choice to walk you down the aisle.

Know your venue: Will your wedding venue even allow Fluffy to be in the building? Check with your ceremony location far ahead of time. Many churches won’t allow animals to be part of a ceremony; neither will most indoor wedding venues.

Know your guests: Make sure your guests know that Polly will be part of the ceremony. Some guests may be allergic, others may have phobias. Check with all your vendors and your officiant as well.

Have a wrangler: You and your spouse-to-be will be too busy to look after your pet’s every need. Either have a trusted family member look after Lucky, or hire a dog sitter. You’ll need to be sure someone’s watching him the whole time, as well as making sure your pet doesn’t get into food, flowers or decorations that might make him sick.

Practice, practice, practice: Make sure that your pet is part of the rehearsal, and if you expect her to wear a cute hat, shirt or bow tie, then let her wear it often around the house. If Fluffy keeps getting free of her costume, you might need to re-think your plan.

My pet’s not allowed. What can I do? For many reasons, your pet may not be able to be part of the ceremony itself, but you still want him as part of your day. Have your pet sitter bring him to your wedding photo location for a few pictures. Nothing makes you go “awww” quite so much as a sweet picture with you and your pet. Again, make sure your photographer and the location know that your pet is coming. Even if you spend only a few minutes with Rex or Whiskers, the pictures will last a lifetime.

No, really, our pet won’t behave for any of that. What can we do? Maybe you know that Bandit won’t behave for any amount of treats, or you have an unusual pet that just won’t work around many people. So, have your pet be the theme for your wedding. Have pictures of Rover on the invitations, or silhouettes of Sparky on your table numbers. Keep a picture at the gift table or wear a picture in a locket.