Man, Wife & Man's Best Friend
Sandra Mardenfeld
Do you love your black Labrador almost as much as your fiance?
Then don't leave your faithful friend home on the big day. After all, the rest of your family plays a significant role during your wedding; shouldn't your dog do the same?
Many people are including their pets in their weddings these days. Comic Adam Sandler’s late Bulldog, Meatball, acted as ring bearer during his nuptials and when rockers Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale wed, they walked down the aisle along-
side their sheepdog, Winston. Including a furred friend or two can personalize your wedding and add a bit of fun to the ceremony.
The easiest assignments for (wo)man’s best friend are either ring bearer or flower girl since those jobs are largely ornamental and merely require walking down the aisle at the appropriate time. However, best dogs and dogs of honor aren’t unheard of if you have a particularly close relationship with your pooch. Just be sure you choose the appropriate role for your dog’s personality. An energetic puppy won’t sit sedately by your side during the ceremony, but your older, faithful friend might. Some animals can walk freely amid the event; others may need a leash and a groomsman or bridesmaid to guide them.
Of course, you can prep your pooch for the big event with obedience training. But, be realistic, some training might help if your dog always jumps on people, but will it really eradicate the behavior before your wedding day? You don’t want your pet mauling your guests or putting muddy paws on the wedding dress. Ultimately, some dogs aren’t wedding-appropriate. Still, for the pet that listens well, but
merely needs a few tweaks in behavior—maybe your hound will stay, but not for the length of a ceremony—a trainer may help.
Also, keep in mind, that not all venues will welcome your furry friend at the ceremony. So ask the church, synagogue, hotel, or reception hall where you’re holding the event what their policy is. Once you get approval from the facility, make sure that the person marrying you also embraces the idea—some officiants may think that pets interfere with the sanctity of the event. In fact, some of your guests may feel the same way. So consider, too, what your family and friends will think. Does anyone you know have a fear of dogs or a fierce allergy? Those factors might be worth considering. Dogs can be involved in the wedding without actually participating in the party. They can lead the bride or groom up to or from the altar or be brought in for the big send off (imagine how cute it would look when you and your new spouse walk toward your limo where your dog sits wearing a “Just Married” sign). But, if including your pet is what you really want to do and you’ve both decided that this is something you can’t compromise on then don’t worry what family and friends say. Ultimately, it’s your wedding day.
Once you decide to include your four-legged friend in the bridal party, you should appoint a pet “guardian”—someone who can watch over Fido before, during and after the ceremony, holding his leash, and getting him food or water if he needs it. This person can also be responsible for transporting the dog home before food is served and the begging starts. Try to choose someone your pet knows and who loves him or her almost as much as you do. Sometimes a pet can become nervous or overexcited at the prospect of so many people in one room, so the guardian should be able to calm him down. Even if you think you’re the best person to do all this, give someone else the job. You should be concentrating on your wedding. If you cannot find anyone appropriate, hire a professional handler.
In case your pet doesn’t react to the crowd as well as expected, give the pet guardian the authority to abort operation wedding and bring the dog home. It’s better to not include your faithful friend at the last minute then to have him howling over the processional music. This individual should also be equipped with a poop bag in case your pup relieves himself or herself at an inconvenient time (and to insure that won’t happen, the pet guardian should take Rover for a walk just prior to the procession).
During the ceremony, the guardian should sit close by just in case of an emergency, say a sudden flurry of barking, they can easily lead the pet outside the facility. Make sure not to appoint anyone from your bridal party as the pet’s guardian. If your pet acts up, you don’t want to have two missing from your group.
You’ll also need to decide how your pet will get down the aisle. Is your beloved friend trained well enough that they can do the walk alone? Most dogs aren’t. So buy a nice leash and assign the job to someone—perhaps the child serving as the flower girl or one of the bridesmaids. Do consider including your pup in the dress rehearsal. This is an opportunity to see how they react to music, the bridal party, the ceremony, etc. The dog might even be more comfortable participating the next day after seeing what’s expected.
For the big day, you’ll want to primp Fido—giving him a bath the day before or a professional grooming. Besides making your pet sparkling clean, you’ll also prevent allergic guests from having a reaction from dander. For attire, you can simply tie
a pretty bow around your dog’s neck for decoration or go all out with a doggie tuxedo or dress, available from most pet catalogs and pet stores. These days’ doggie designer duds are trendy—check out Ella Dish’s line of canine haute couture (elladish.com)—so finding an appropriate outfit for your pup might be easier than discovering your own. Designers Sandy Mahoney and Sharon Bolger, hailed the Vera Wang of the pet bridal industry, even offer the I See Spot bridal (iseespot.com) collection featuring velvet tuxedos and ring bearer T-shirts. For ring-bearing pups, you can even buy a special doggie ring pillow from bridal supply stores. A small caveat though: unless your dog is highly responsible (and, frankly, no matter how much you love them, few are), you’ll want to give the actual ring to the best man for safekeeping.
Don’t forget to include your pet in your flower order. You can dress up your ring bearer by adding a boutonniere to his outfit. Be sure to buy two in case one gets chewed before the ceremony. For a flower dog, you can put a wreath on the animal’s head, around their neck or, if you’re dog is well-trained; even have them carry a bouquet down the aisle. Make sure you consult your florists regarding your plans. Many flowers, such as carnations, tulips, and baby’s breath have mild toxicity to dogs—some flowers can even be fatal if ingested.
Lastly, think of you dog’s comfort level when planning their role. You know your dog best, so before your canine companion becomes best man, make sure that’s something they’d enjoy as much as you.