18 Charming Ways to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding Day (or Any Pet)
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How to include your beloved dog or pets in your wedding, whether they’re physically present or there in spirit.
Your pet is an important part of your life, so of course you want to include them in your big day! Whether you’re looking to incorporate your pet in your wedding ceremony or are searching for another way to honor them, here are 18 adorable ways to include your dog in your wedding day (or your cat, bird, rabbit, or other pet!).
Including your pet in your wedding day can add a special and heartwarming touch to your celebration. Whether it’s having your furry friend walk down the aisle, serve as the ring bearer, or simply be present for photos, involving your pet creates memorable moments and showcases their importance in your life.
But don’t worry—even if your pet is happier and safer staying at home on your wedding day, there are still many ways to include them. This list offers various ways to make your pet a part of your wedding, whether they are physically present or with you in spirit. If you’re having a destination wedding and it’s not feasible for your pet to travel, but you still want their presence felt since they’re such an important part of your life, you’ll find plenty of creative ideas in the list below to include them.
With a bit of creativity and planning, you can ensure that your furry friends are part of the joy and excitement of your wedding, making it a day that truly reflects your unique love story.
Here are some creative ways to make your pet a special part of your wedding celebration.
Table of Contents:
How to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding
Your pet can be a delightful part of your wedding, adding love and joy to your big day.
1. Include your dog in your wedding ceremony.
There are numerous ways you can include your dog in your wedding ceremony. They can walk down the aisle during your wedding processional (have a designated person in your wedding party walk them down), they can stand at the altar during your ceremony, or they can serve as the ring bearer by having the rings attached to their collar or wedding outfit (either tied on with string or inside a ring box). Check with your venue in advance to make sure your pets are allowed.
Tip: Plan ahead—have an on-site pet-sitter who can take care of your dog before and after the ceremony. It’s becoming increasingly common to be able to find local dog walkers or pet sitters who offer this service, and can even bring your pets back home or to your hotel/Airbnb after the ceremony. Have a plan in place for the dog(s) to exit if they start causing a disturbance during your wedding ceremony.
2. Include your dog (or other pet) in some of your wedding photos.
Some options are to include your pet as part of your getting ready photos if you want to leave your pet at home, or in the bride & groom photos if you want to bring them outside.
Tip: If you’re taking your dog to your wedding site for photos, you’ll need an extra person available who isn’t in the photos to hold the dog while you take the rest of your group photos.
3. Feature your dog (or other pet) in your wedding invitations.
For example, on your Save the Date, invitation, or RSVP card, you can include your pet as an illustration or watercolor portrait. There are many pet portrait artists who you can hire to create a charming illustration of your pet. A good place to find a pet portrait artist is on Etsy. You can have someone design the stationery for you and ask them to add the portrait to it, or if you’re more of a DIY person you can purchase an invitation template from Etsy and add the pet portrait yourself.
4. Wear something that honors your pet on your wedding day.
You can keep your pet with you in spirit all day by wearing something that honors them. It can be something visible or something hidden so only you know it’s there. For women, some ideas are a piece of jewelry with a paw print—such as the bracelet shown above, jewelry with your pet’s name, or to have a picture or their name added to the inside of your dress; for men, a pocket square with your pet’s name embroidered on the inside, or belt with your pet’s name or illustration, either on the inside or outside of the belt.
5. Have a custom cake topper made of your dog (or other pet).
Your cake topper can be just your pet(s) or it can be of you and your significant other with your pet(s). There are many cake toppers like this available on Etsy, or if you’re crafty, you can make one yourself.
6. Provide wedding guests with cocktail napkins that feature your pet.
During your cocktail hour and dessert, provide wedding guests with cocktail napkins that feature an illustration of your pet. You can place them by the bar, on high top tables, and on your dessert table.
7. Include your dog (or other pet) in your wedding ceremony programs.
Feature your dog in your wedding ceremony programs, giving them a special mention alongside your wedding party or featuring them on the back page.
8. Place a wedding welcome sign featuring your dog (or other pet).
Place a charming welcome sign at the entrance of your wedding ceremony or reception featuring your dog or pet(s). Make it even more delightful by having your dog “welcome everyone,” with a cute message like, “Welcome to the wedding of our humans”.
9. Incorporate your dog (or other pet) into your seating chart or place cards table.
Including a framed photo or statue of your dog on your place cards table, or featuring your dog on your seating chart, can create the feeling that they’re personally guiding guests to their tables.
10. Include a figurine of your dog (or other pet) in your table decorations.
Each dining table will likely feature a centerpiece composed of a table number, flowers, candles, and other decorative elements. One way to include your dog in your wedding table decorations is to include a wood or metal figurine of your dog on each table with your table decor. You can also get inexpensive plastic figurines that look like your dog, cat, horse, or other pet, and spray paint them a metallic color like gold, silver, rose gold, or bronze.
11. If you’re having a photo booth, make life-size cutouts of your pet’s head as part of the props.
You can buy kits of wedding Photo Booth props and then DIY one of your pet by printing out a photo of your dog’s head on thick card stock paper and cutting it out, then gluing or taping it to a popsicle stick or an extra stick from the props you purchased. It’s a fun and hilarious way to include your furry friend.
Related: 25 Best Beach Bridesmaid Gifts for Your Destination Wedding
12. Name a signature cocktail after your pet.
If you’re having signature cocktails at your wedding, you can create one in honor of your pet. For example, if you have a cat named Rudy you could have “Rudy’s Rum Punch,” or for a dog named Bentley have “Bentley’s Choice: The Salty Dog”.
13. Have custom drink stirrers featuring your dog (or other pet).
An amusing way to include your dog in your wedding reception is to have the bartender place custom drink stirrers into each drink that feature your pet’s head on them. How fun are these?!
14. Give out drink koozies with your dog (or other pet) on them.
You can give out custom drink koozies featuring your pet at your wedding welcome party, at your wedding bar if it’s outdoors, in wedding welcome bags at the hotel if you have many out of town guests, or as wedding favors.
15. Create custom candle favors featuring your pet.
To include your dog in your wedding favors, you can order candles with a photo of your pet, or a photo from your engagement shoot of you and your significant other with your pet, to give out as favors.
16. Add “doggie bags” to your candy table.
A fun wedding trend is to have a candy table with small bags so people can make to-go bags to snack on during or after the wedding. Why not include your dog in your wedding candy table, and give out “doggy bags”? (If you’re not familiar with this phrase, a doggy bag is a bag used by a restaurant customer or party guest to take home leftover food.) You can have a picture of your dog on the bag itself, or have a framed photo of your dog on the candy table with a sign saying “Make a doggy bag, courtesy of Luna {your dog’s name}”.
17. Make a donation in your pet’s honor in lieu of favors.
A sweet idea that gives back and is really fitting if you and your significant other are animal lovers, is to make a donation to an animal shelter in lieu of giving out traditional favors. This can be especially meaningful if you have a rescue dog that you adopted from a shelter, but is not required, as it’s just as special to help other dogs and animals in need even if your pet isn’t originally from a shelter. Your guests will appreciate the gesture, and let’s be honest, many wedding favors go unused once they’re brought home, anyway. By making a donation, you’ll know the money you put towards this favor is being used for an important cause.
18. Set up a special area for your pet to be featured.
Much in the way that you can have an “in loving memory” table to include people who are no longer with us, you can also set up a small area where you can honor your furry friend with a framed photo of your pet or of you with your pet from your engagement shoot. Put a candle or flowers on the table and a sign with a sweet note, like, “Daisy is relaxing at home today but is celebrating with us in spirit!”
Save These Ideas for How to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding
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Pin this list of ways to include your dog in your wedding day for future reference.
As you’ve seen, there are many creative ways to include your dog in your wedding day (or your cat, rabbit, or any other special pet!).
Including your pets in your wedding is a wonderful way to celebrate their special place in your life and make your big day even more memorable. You can easily include your pet in your wedding day even if they’re staying safely at home during the festivities.
Whether you want to include your dog in your wedding ceremony or wedding photos, featured in your ceremony programs, or represented through thoughtful decor, involving your pets adds a personal and heartwarming touch to your celebration. Maybe one of these ideas will even spark an idea of your own that will be perfect for you and your pet!
Are you thinking about how to include your dog in your wedding day? Which of these ideas do you like best? Let us know in the comments.
