While creating the guest list, you realize you’re missing one person...or four-legged friend that is!

Having man’s best friend attend the big day is becoming more and more popular — you’ve probably seen all of the cute photos scrolling through your Instagram or Pinterest feed and thinking “we have to do that!”

If that’s you, keep reading below on the things that you should take note of before officially adding your pet to the list!

Check with your venue

While many venues may be excited at the prospect of incorporating your furry friend into your wedding day, not all venues allow dogs. It is important to communicate this with your venue as soon as possible (even before booking) to make sure that you are abiding by all of their rules. Especially if having your dog at the ceremony is going to be a make or break for you, you want to ensure you know that they are ok with this rather than booking and asking for an exception later!

If your venue allows pets but it is not stated in the contract, have the venue coordinator write in an addendum when booking that they are allowing you to have a dog on site.

Tell your photographer

While we (or any of our Melbourn Wedding Photographer friends for that matter) love a great surprise, your pet showing up for your wedding photos without notice unfortunately isn’t one of them.

When going over your photo timeline (which we put together with you as your wedding date approaches that goes over all of the important shots that you want to capture; getting ready, first look, first dance, etc) let us know how you would like to incorporate your dog into your photos. Are you wanting to just do portraits with them? Will they be walking down the aisle and sitting up at the front as your vows are said? Ensuring we know exactly what shots you want to grab with them will help us in creating your photo timeline, and how much time to allot for them!

Just as we love capturing candid moments with your guests, dogs can be pretty unpredictable at times which can also lead to some laugh out loud moments. Cue the “ahhhhh” from your guests as they are walking down the aisle!

Before you add them to the guest list…

Take into consideration the temperament of your dog and how they will handle being present on the wedding day. While you may insist on not leaving your four-legged friend out of all of the fun, if they don’t do well with children, groups, unfamiliar faces, or become easily stressed out, it may be in your best interest to pass on the presence of your pet (also take into consideration the weather if you are having an outdoor wedding.) This will not only save them stress, but you avoid any extra stress as well.

If after weighing these options you decide to pass on having them present on your wedding day, consider including them in your engagement photos instead where it will be just the two of you and your photographer!

They’re on the list, what’s next?

So your venue allows dogs and your photographer will be catching those tail-wagging moments, so now what? This isn’t doggy daycare and they won’t be able to roam free! Ensure you have a dedicated person that can either be the handler (outside of your bridal party) if they are just there for photos, or someone that will be available to pick them up after the ceremony concludes as most venues will only allow them on site for the ceremony (plus you don’t want to have to worry about tending to your dog while you’re getting down on the dance floor!)

If the dog will be walking down the aisle, ensure that the selected handler takes the dog out to do its duties before the ceremony begins to avoid any mid-ceremony mishaps.

While your dog may be one of the friendliest known to mankind, out of respect to your guests, have your dog on a leash while they are walked down the aisle by a member of the bridal party, or have a designated person you hand your dog off to when you reach the top of the aisle.

Dressing them for the occasion

We have seen so many cute ideas out there from our own couples; like Catilyn & Dale who’s dog wore a floral wreath, as well as others on what their dog wears on the wedding day! A classic bowtie is a great option, or opt for something more creative. They’re part of the party so have fun with it. How you want to style them is totally up to you! Check out some of our favorite photos we’ve captured below:

Having your dog as your ring bearer? It’s a cute idea and gives us an opportunity to snap some great photos! If this is the case, ensure that your dog doesn’t have your actual rings, leave that duty to the best man or maid of honor!

Throw your dog a bone!

If you’re having favors for your guests, you might as well have them for their pets as well! Alongside a favor table, consider having a table that includes an array of snacks and bones for your guests to build-their-own doggie bag for their furry friend at home!

So there you have it, a guide on including your dog into one of the best days of your life! We know how important your dogs are to you and being able to include them in such a momentous occasion is one for the photo albums!

Looking for some tail wagging wedding inspo? Follow us on our Instagram page to see some of our favorite shots we’ve captured of our furry friends and how our couples have incorporated them into their wedding day!

Questions about including your pet into your wedding photos or booking Lavan Photography for your big day? Connect with us!