Suggestions for Including Our Dog in the Ceremony

Can he escort the groom down the aisle or maybe have the rings strapped to him or just a sign where he can walk down during the procession and stand by your sides during the ceremony?

So cute!! i love dogs in weddings okay so other than the rings, perhaps he could walk you? or if your dad is doing that what if he accompanies the flower girl?

Also, another way to include him (he is so adorable btw awwwww) is to include him in your cake topper. Our dog will be at home as we will go abroad (the thought scares me leaving her with someone and how she will feel) but I am planning to buy this.

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I like the idea of having him carry the rings but we haven't found a good way to attach them and I wouldn't trust them just tied onto a little string on his collar.

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We have a super small wedding party (one MOH, two groomsmen, no flower girl). I did think of having him walk me (my dad passed when I was in college) but I'm uncertain if that would work with my dress and me holding a bouquet. My dress has a long train and Winston tends to pull when he's excited, so I'd definitely want to practice but not in my actual dress. Maybe I can just drag a bedsheet behind me or something and see how that goes.

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Our friends actually got us a similar cake topper (same style, but a man and woman hiking with a dog)! We're staying on site for our wedding the night before and after, which is about 25 minutes from our house, so the logistics of including Winston are a bit complicated. We're going to have people stay at our house with him for the weekend and someone will need to shuttle him back and forth before and after the ceremony/photos. I think it will be worth it, though.

There are actually services that you can hire to help take care of your pet at the venue and they could help you direct him down the aisle and take him afterwards

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I highly doubt any exist in our area (we're more than 2 hours from the nearest metropolitan area and the closest mall is an hour away), and we definitely have friends who would be happy to do it. I'm trying to figure out if it would be more awkward to ask one of our wedding guests to do it (someone who loves our dog) vs having a friend do it (who also loves our dog) but whom we didn't invite to the wedding.

So I found a great spot in etsy that actually sells an attachment for the collar for the rings! We're having our little girl trot the rings down the aisle:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/587299577/original-wedding-dog-ring-bearer-ring


The band of fabric clips onto the dog's collar, then you clip the rings to it! Plus it has a super cute bowtie. I'm getting a set that includes the harness because she's small:

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Gotcha! Definitely would ask someone at the wedding either a friend or bridal party/family

I think a good option could be having the groom walk down the aisle with Winston. Logistically, he may have an easier time if Winston were to get excited and veer off course, where you will be considering your dress/train and carrying a bouquet (if you are!).

If you already have a relationship with your officiant, you could practice well in advance, having FH walk with Winston on a leash toward the officiant while he has a treat in hand, etc. Additional practice walking straight/to a destination in a busy park, busy sidewalk, etc. will also help Winston get adjusted!

Other ways to include him during cocktails/reception could be: including couple's photos with Winston, having table numbers be a photo of Winston with a number, if you have a signature cocktail name it "The Winston", etc. but don't forget to consider what y'all are actually doing with Winston during the reception and how he is getting home/staying with a family member?

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Lol that could work. it will definitely be tough with your bouquet and a leash. could he maybe walk in with the groom? i think anywhere you have him people are going to love it! so don't stress out about it too much, it will all be perfect.

I’ve seen dogs be ring bearers and sometimes they go right up there but usually they run around sniffing guests. Although I’ve had dogs I’m not a dog person so if someone’s dog was randomly sniffing me during the processional I’d be super uncomfortable.

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Oh that's an awesome find! Thank you!

He is the most beautiful dog Kari! 😍

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Great ideas!

Our plan is to have Winston brought to our venue a bit before the ceremony/photos and brought back home after formal photos have been done (we still haven't decided whether or not we are doing a first look or leaving our photos for after the ceremony). We'll likely have guests who are traveling stay at our house (possibly my mom and cousins, who are super animal lovers), or worst case have our college age dog sitter stay with him for the weekend. Fortunately, Winston is pretty accustomed to crowds and events and does fine on crowded streets and at events with lots of people, he just doesn't do a really nice consistent zero-pull heel very often (but he also won't drag anyone down the aisle, he may have his nose in the grass the whole time though). I just think if I'm walking him I'll be looking down at him instead of up at my FH.

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That's a good point, although I think all of the invited guests either like or love dogs, or see him enough that they're used to him and comfortable around him. I don't think he'd pay all that much attention to people sitting near the aisle. We also do have it on our wedding website that he's involved, so it shouldn't surprise anyone.

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Thank you!

Our dog was in our engagement pictures & our save the dates, we also put her as "dog of honor" on our website. Our pet sitter brought her to the ceremony, let her walk down the aisle, then she napped during the ceremony and our pet sitter brought her home after we took a few pictures with her.

If you’re really drawn to a doggie ring bearer, just do as they do with kids and attach fake rings! 😊 The Best Man or MOH can have the real rings.


If you think an act in the ceremony will be too much for him, then perhaps you just include him in some of your poses photos instead?