Tips to Incorporating Your Pet at Your Wedding

Our pets are family, and whether this family has paws or not they still deserve to be part of this big wedding celebration you are planning, right? But it’s not always as simple as sending your pet a wedding invitation and hoping they RSVP in time via your wedding website. Incorporating our furry loved ones takes a little more planning & creativity. So, if you are going round and round with your partner on how to make sure the bestest pet is part of such a special milestone in your life, I’ve got some ideas for you.

• Part of family photos. This is an obvious first one that I am sure you have started exploring. When it comes to having your pet physically attend and be present in some way on the wedding day there are logistics to consider. First, make sure that your pet is welcome at your venue. If they are, find out if there are any restrictions/rules that you need to be aware of. Next, make sure you have a handler for your pet who is specifically assigned this duty. You are going to be busy and there is going to be a lot going on, so don’t assume you are going to have time to look after your own pet on your wedding day. The sole focus of this person’s job should be to make sure your pet is following any rules, they are going to the bathroom (have plenty of doggie poop bags on hand), getting water, and staying comfortable so they aren’t too wild or too anxious. We do have a service in the Spokane/CdA area called Wag n’ Wed that you can hire for professional dog watching. They will handle the task of picking up your pet, tending to your pet on site, and taking your pet safely back home. This is a great option to ensure that you aren’t asking a loved one to leave in the middle of the party and come back, risking missing an important “event”.

• Framed photos. If your pet is not welcome at your wedding venue or they are just too wild/anxious/any synonym to rambunctious then having framed photos of your pet could be a great alternative to make sure they are enjoying the day in spirit. Great places to put these photos are the welcome/entry table, the bar, the dessert table, anywhere and everywhere that is appropriate. I have even helped a client create a little pet shrine. We can do it all.
• Special signature cocktail bar menu. Speaking of the bar, this is another area that you can get creative with incorporating your pet & their persona. If your pet could drink, what kind of cocktail would be their go to? Have that be your signature cocktail and name it after your pet. Create a super cute sign on Canva or Etsy with your pet’s name and face, pop it in a frame, and boom… your guests will be drink a “Kaiser” all night long (the name of our German Shepherd).

• Cocktail napkins. Another easy way to feature your pet is to put their cute little face or outline on a cocktail napkin. Something cutesy like “Have a drink on Kaiser” with your names & wedding date. This is something easy that your bartender would likely be handing out with drinks anyways, so why not personalize it! Pro tip: be sure to save a couple for yourselves and use it in a wedding shadow box afterwards.

• Party favors. You are not the only ones whose pets mean a lot to them. Create a doggie biscuit bar or a party favor station with your pet’s favorite treat and have guests take home a little something to their furry loved ones as well! If you like this idea, remember this is not a one bag for every guest kind of favor. Some guests probably won’t have pets or are traveling long distances and don’t want to carry doggie treats in their bag all the way home. So, order/put together in moderation and maybe have a secondary party favor for those folks without pets.
• Dessert. This one is for the humans of the party, and I love this idea because it is edible, but also another cute personal touch. I have seen cookies with pet’s faces on them. Cupcakes frosted to look like your pet.  I have seen couples have their pets made into cake toppers or other little figurines to be decorations on the cake/dessert.

• Life size cut outs. Throwing this one in because I have seen it on more than one occasion, and I think it is so fun! Ordering larger than life cut outs to be used as decorations and sometimes fun props on the dance floor. Here is a photo of Maisy watching over the seating chart during cocktail hour, making sure everyone knows where they are supposed to sit. And she definitely joined in on the dance floor later that evening too! (IRL this little cutie is a tiny, spoiled princess)

The moral of the story is that there are a lot of fun & cute options out there to ensure our precious, furry, loved ones are part of your wedding day. If you have more ideas or did something different, please leave a comment below – I would love to hear about it!

Be sure to check out these other blogs with more wedding tips:

Tips for Touring a Wedding Venue

How To: Properly Use Pinterest

Ideas to Entertain Your Wedding Guests

And if you want to work together to come up with something special & unique for your own wedding use this link to get in touch today!