Should Your “Best Friend” Be In Your Wedding? (Philadelphia Event Planner)

I am finally back and settled after an amazing trip to Rome.  Last week I came back to a full email inbox and lots of work to do, but I am finally caught up.  I have had several inquiries as to when I will be getting my blog together about the trip.  I will be getting the first post together tomorrow to share with everyone.  I have lots of stories to tell and many experiences to share.

We flew back into Philadelphia on Tuesday March 30th.  My fiance and I got engaged on October 18th.  Since then I have been telling myself (and everyone else) that we would start our wedding planning after the trip.  When I sat down to my computer and glanced at the date on March 31st, I realized we better get on the ball, as our wedding is in just over a year.  This brought on the first wedding argument.

As I have mentioned before, I have an adorably sweet pug named Dutchess.  She is our world, and spoiled as though she is our first child.  I told my fiance how great I thought it would be for her to be at either the ceremony or reception.  She is such a big part of our lives, and I couldn’t picture having such an important day without her.  Unfortunately, Tim does not feel the same way.  He finds it a little ridiculous  that I would want her to be involved, and thinks it will be “too much of a distraction and a hassle”.  (For anyone who is taking his side, please note this is the same guy who fought tooth and nail to have a chimpanzee dressed in a tuxedo stand curbside with the valet to open our guests car doors as they arrive.  We’re talking about an animal that is known for throwing it’s own feces around! )

In an attempt to plead my case I put my event planner hat on and referenced every article and statistic I had ever read regarding the increasing popularity of pets in weddings, but to no avail.  He just won’t budge.  However; if any of you are interested in how to incorporate your fuzzy friends into your big day, below are some tips and considerations.

What part will they play?

Think about the flow of your day as well as the level of formality.  If you are having an outdoor wedding in a rustic barn-like setting, having your dog serve as your ring bearer could be a great idea.  On the other hand if you are having a very formal wedding at a Cathedral, maybe it is best to wait until after the ceremony to have him join you.  Be sure to ask your ceremony and reception venue if they allow pets.  If they do not, you can still find ways to incorporate your pets.  Perhaps you can leave some extra time between the ceremony and reception to go to a local park and have them included in some of the photos.

Have someone on-site to assist.

Although you want your pet to be there with you at your wedding.  You want to enjoy your day, and won’t want them to monopolize all your time.  Be sure to hire someone that works with pets to take care of them throughout the day (maybe a local dog walker), or ask a family member or friend who is familiar with them.  Whoever will be taking care of them, make sure you let them know not to allow your pet to be fed by guests, or to wander off into flowers that may have been sprayed with harmful pesticides.

What if they don’t do what you expect?

Do you have an easy-going personality, or is it extremely important to you that everything go perfectly as planned during your wedding?  If your dog starts barking during your vows because it sees a bird outside in a tree will it ruin your day?  No matter how well trained your pet is, instincts can not be helped.  Will you be able to deal with some unexpected occurrences?

Take some time to answer these questions to yourself honestly.  If you are going to involve your pets, you need to be sure it is right for you.  There are also many ways that you can represent your pet at your wedding without having them present.  If you are looking for some ideas, feel free to contact us.