Cat Ring Bearer

Is your wedding at your home or somewhere else? Can you hire a pet sitter for the reception? You know your guests better than anyone, but I wouldn’t be super comfortable with an animal roaming around while I was trying to eat at a wedding, especially if there was the possibility for the animal to hop up on the tables for food.

This is awesome! Sounds like Garfield! LOL. Could you have a cat sitter? Is the venue cat friendly?

That sounds really cute. I wouldn’t trust either of my cats with such a job. I’m curious where your venue is. Having a cat loose in an establishment serving food is a bit different than a dog, and I still think both would need to be constantly supervised in order to meet Health and Safety. Just thinking about what the caterer would allow.


Honestly, my cats would freak with that many people around, but we’re having our reception at my parents’ yard, so I’ll be super impressed if we can keep the 3 dogs (mom’s, my brother’s, & mine) inside for the whole time.

I would be more afraid he would run/wander off than jump on tables, based on my experience with cats. Animals in front of large crowds behave much differenly and out of the norm compared to just with you. Keep him on a secure harness and leash if your choose to have him there. Also I was reading awhile back of a couple who had a cat ringbearer with real rings attached (almost never done as the best man carries real rings) who got freaked by the crowd of guests and ran off to get stuck in a tree which stopped the ceremony. Best of luck.

I wouldn't let him run free. Also have you checked if any of your guests are allergic to cats? Because that could go terribly wrong

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He has worked in large crowds before and is trained to walk on a leash!

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The venue is completely ok with him, they wrote him in as special entertainment, lol.

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No allergies present, he is furless to so that helps!

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We are doing it at a castle in NC, he is used to crowds and better trained than any dog I've ever had. He has even done kids summer camps!

View Quoted Comment Cool deal. I’m nosy, which castle in NC?


I’d still see about having someone solely responsible for watching the cat. If you don’t want to hire a pet sitter, maybe see about 2 younger cousins who could share the responsibility.

This is such a cool idea! I wish my cats were that well behaved lol

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Castle McCulloch, sadly I have always been a bit short on the family side of things. I found some playpens though!

Sounds like a great idea but I can also see it going terribly wrong. My cat is friendly but I can see him freakin out with strangers there & bolting. My FFIL is extremely allergic to cats & can’t be around them for even 2 mins. Personally, as a guest, I wouldn’t want to have a cat roaming around.
Our cake topper will have a cat (besides the bride & groom) so our cat will be represented.

I guess I always worry about pets being too stressed or scared at a wedding, I’d be more inclined to have a pet present as a cake topper, signature drink name, on invitations or signs, perhaps even as a cardboard cutout for photo ops.

View Quoted Comment Oh great!!

View Quoted Comment I have a lot of family, but lately they’ve been less inclined to commit to help.

I don't think I would let the cat run all over your reception venue. Guests will be eating, dancing and mingling and the last thing I would want is a cat getting in the way or jumping on people or tables.

Sounds like such a cool cat! I wouldn’t give him free reign of the venue though. 1) people aren’t used to cats and weddings and when they forget he could startle them and lead to dropped plates/ being stepped on / etc 2) you don’t want to have any concern for him in your back of mind all night (is he stealing food? Did he sneak out? What’s he up to now?).
Our dog will be a part of our ceremony and he is likely going home with a Rover or a friend before the reception so we don’t have to worry about him or feel bad that he is locked up alone.

We had to cancel/reschedule our wedding due to Covid but eloped on our original day and the ONE perk was that it was logistically much easier to have our dog ring bearer at a short elopement than a long wedding day.

I would not yet your cat roam free for a number of reasons, including: 1) He would be more likely to get hurt, lost, runaway in an unfamiliar environment than when at home, 2) Guests may have allergies or be uncomfortable, 3) you don't want to be worrying about him/trying to keep an eye on him all night, and 4) it could even be a possible health code violation if he's free roaming in an area where food is being served. My suggestion would be have him be your ring bearer than see if someone can bring him to where you are staying for the night (whether at home or at a hotel or your room at the venue) and stay there.

This is an adorable special touch! If our cat didn't hate strangers, then I would love to include him in our wedding. If your venue is totally fine with it, which it sounds like it is, then I would go with the Pet Sitter Idea. Someone who can play with your baby and follow them around all night, and if anything happened, then the sitter could take your cat back to your home/hotel. A pet sitter also takes the panic off you for the night, you don't have to worry about where your baby is, if a child is pulling their tail, if they got into the food, etc.

As for allergies and your guests being annoyed, it's your wedding, do you boo! Just make sure people are informed so they can make their own decisions, and also if they are going to judge you for doing you, do you really want them at your wedding? I would add a note on your wedding website letting folks know that a cat is present and that they are a guest of honor.

Best of luck and I would love to see the photos!