Dogs in wedding?

Ive seen 2 weddings with dogs and in neither of those 2 did the dogs cooperate, theh were scared of all the people and refused to walk. Maybe if someone can carry them, it would be cute and have them be a part of it. It's like kids, they can do things but once put on the spot they freeze

I work with dogs professionally and I would not recommend this unless your dog is VERY well-trained and behaved and is used to crowds.

I would love to have my two dogs be a part of my wedding but they are like velcro. I would have to be beside them at all times to avoid a freak out which I think would be unneeded stress on my wedding day. Your dogs may not be as needy though, so it could potentially work. Consider the time frame of your wedding though. Would your dogs be comfortable being away from home for so long? Do crowds stress them out? Speaking of crowds, are any of your guests scared of dogs? (I have two giant ones so this is an issue.) Are they easily excitable? Would you be okay with them barking? Are they needy? Who would watch them when you are busy? Would you be willing to set up a food and water dish at your reception? Who would be responsible for taking them out to use the restroom? Would they be staying with you on your wedding night? If not, who would take them home? Just some things to consider as you make your decision.

I was in one wedding with dogs. A guest got bitten. Ceremony ended with a trip to the emergency room. That's the only experience I have

Everything @MsVanWinkle noted. It's a cute idea, but logistically could be a nightmare. I was just married and with all the moving pieces throughout the day, no way could a dog have been incorporated into the events at any point. Your wedding date is pretty far out - how about including the dogs in your engagement pics and see how things go?

I agree with PP. There's so many ways you could include the dogs without actually having them at the ceremony. What about having them with you while you get ready? I've seen some adorable photos online with have the dogs in them. And engagement photos is another fun way to incorporate them!

Sounds like a cute idea. What kind of dogs are they?

I've officiated ceremonies with dogs as the ring bearer. Everything has gone well but only after much logistical work on the couples' part. First and foremost make sure your given venue even allows for dogs to be part of your ceremony. After that it's a matter of who will be responsible for your pooch and doesn't mind missing your wedding. Best wishes!

I wouldn't recommend it. Not all people like dogs, crowds and unfamiliar people cause the dogs stress. Even the best behaved dogs can act up in any situation. You would need someone assigned to be their handler for the ceremony. Personally, I see disaster written all over this.

I love my dogs so much. But a ceremony would just scare them and they probably wouldn't behave. So we are taking some wedding pictures with them.

So, I was 100% team dog until it came down to logistics and planning the wedding. Here are the questions I had to ask myself:

1) Is the venue pet friendly?

2) Are you going to give up your dream venue to accommodate a pet friendly location?

3) Who is going to handle dogs during Bride/Groom getting ready?

4) How will they be around dozens, if not hundreds of people?

5) Does dog shed? (Dog hair over suit and dress?)

6) Where will dog go after ceremony? Who will transport dog?

ETA 7) Are any guests allergic to dogs?

It's a ton of logistical work, and while I know one of my dogs would enjoy all the attention, we both decided it's best to leave them at home sleeping on the couch where they'd much rather be. It's already been problematic figuring who's gonna take them to go outside the night of the wedding.

Our dog sitter is bringing our dog during pictures and then taking him home to stay with him overnight

We're having our dog - he's not going to actually have a role or anything but he'll just be around all day, we know he's good with crowds and parties because he's been at them before, we've taken him to the venue a few times so he can know it. Also we're having a Team Lucky made up of 3 friends who know him really well to look after him during the day/night, so we don't have to stress about him, and one of them will be with him at all times.

Fido and Spot may be great in the engagement photos but I'd give a real good think to having them at the wedding. See valid reasons in the above post.

Our venue allowed dogs but I knew ours would freak out over the large crowds. Instead, we got the dog-sitter to bring her before the ceremony for photos together, which worked out great.

Our friends did an outdoor wedding where their dog could be in it. The dog's name is Belle. She's a really beautiful and kind dog. She walked with the flower girl down the aisle. We made and tied a little pillow around her neck that had little trinkets on it to resemble wedding rings. It was really cute. But like others have said, be sure your dog is well trained and that your venue will allow it.

I really wanted to include my 2 dogs too but just seems like a logistical nightmare. Where do they go after the ceremony? Who is in charge of walking them. What if they get scared or dirty then jump on someone and get them dirty. My dogs also shed a shit ton so we would need to give out lent rollers as favors lol. We ended up including them in our engagement pictures and I love them!!

I agree with PPs. An absolutely awesome idea in theory, though in the practical sense very stressful and possibly risky.

We are considering a few options, 1) is to have a BM or GM escort Cannon(my baby) down the aisle. 2) he knows a secret word to come straight to us when called, when it is time for the rings, we would call out the secret word (which is Kaboom) and him come straight to us. 3) is the dog sitter option of bringing him just for the pictures.

It takes a lot of planning, can't just expect the dog to know what to do. Our dog sitter will the the handler for the ceremony, if we decide to do it.