How to include your dog or cat in your wedding day

What we ask when pets come to a wedding

If you are bringing a pet to your wedding, that is great. We have had a lot of weddings where dogs, and cats, have been part of the day, and they have been great: in the getting-ready room, walking down the aisle, sitting in the family photos.

The one thing we ask is the thing in the video. If you are planning to bring your dog, you want someone to be responsible for them at any given time, so they are not running around the hotel by themselves. That person is not you, and it is not your maid of honor, who has her own job.

We say this because of something we have seen. A dog was left in the hotel room by itself while the day went on, was not having a great time alone, and turned the room completely upside down. We love having pets be part of the wedding, so please make sure someone has them the whole time.

Choosing the pet handler

The best handler is someone your pet already knows who is not in the wedding party: a sibling who is not a bridesmaid, a cousin, a neighbor, or a professional wedding pet sitter. Their only job is the animal: leash, treats, water, and the drive home.

Give the handler the timeline with the pet's moments marked: getting ready, the first look, the ceremony, the family photos. Everything outside those windows is downtime or the drive home. A dog that has stood in a warm ballroom all afternoon will not sit nicely for the portrait.

Hotels, venues and the drive home

Before the day, check that the venue and the getting-ready hotel actually allow animals, and where. Some allow pets in the rooms but not the ballroom; some allow the ceremony lawn but nothing indoors. Knowing the rules saves the handler an argument with a manager.

Then decide when the pet's day ends. For most dogs that is right after the ceremony or the family photos, before the noise of the reception begins. Have the handler drive them home or to a sitter; it is the simplest way to avoid the empty-hotel-room problem.