“Never work with children or animals” is an old show business adage. Children and animals can behave unpredictably on the stage or movie set, and unfortunaley this also can apply to wedding. BUT with careful planing, and consideration, like we Learned from Matt Kennedy last week, Kids and your pets be an meaningful addition to your wedding day
For many couples, their fur-babies are their first dear love, and having them at their wedding day is a MUST have. Dogs, cats, and even horses can be wonderful, memorable additions to a wedding — and with proper planning, including your pet won’t leave you feeling like you’re in the doghouse on your big day. Here are a few tips for making the best of including your 4 legged loved ones.
Engagement photos – including your furry best friends is an amazing way to make your shoot special, as long as you prepare and keep in mind these suggestions!
Carol-Ann from Carol-Ann Photography has TONES of experience with shooting pets, including her own special Paisley. She offers up this advice for including your dog in your engagement session
“Not sure you are ready to commit to having your Pet attend your big day?
Incorporating them into your engagement session can be a great less stressful alternative. Engagement sessions are all about capturing you in your element – and if you are a dog lover, that can mean capturing your fur-baby as well. Why not do your session at your favourite off leash park? It will provide a fun relaxed environment, and some great natural smiles – from all of you!”
1) Designate Someone To Care for the Dogs Behind the Scenes
2) Plenty of Pre-Shoot Exercise
3) Anticipate and Prepare for Possible “Uh-Oh” Scenarios
4) Stay Positive & Enjoy the Candid Moments
5) Treats, Toys & Dressing them Up
On the wedding day consider the following advice as well
1) The bride and groom should not walk their dog down the aisle. Someone else needs to be in charge of handling your pooch(es).
2) Decide what part of the ceremony you would like your dog(s) to attend. Involve your dog in the ceremony but not the reception, as receptions tend to be overwhelming — especially those with an extensive guest list and loud music.
3) Check first to make sure that the venues you choose for your wedding allow dogs. Many have a strict no pet policy. If this is the case you can included them in other ways, like Danielle and Grady did at their wedding. Danielle made sure she had one on one time with Maddox before the ceremony and outfitted him in the most adorable bow tie. Then her flower girl carried a photos of him down the aisle, so everyone knew he was still part of their wedding day!!
For Heather, bringing her Favourite feline along to her wedding just was not feasible (that’s a lot of f words) so she made sure to have a few special photos with Murray ahead of time
4) Designate a handler for once the ceremony starts, your four-legged friends should be quietly whisked away by an usher. As cute as they are, dogs are simply unpredictable. At a moment’s notice (and especially in unfamiliar settings), they can start yelping, stop to relieve themselves, or get spooked and run off.
E was a professional dog handler and trainer, and her two boys were on their “best in show” behaviour at the wedding. This is not always the case for most of our Fur Babies
5) Take a trip to the grooming parlor or wash and groom your dog at home so that he looks and smells good on the big day.
Danielle from Full Circle Canine Massage offered some advice on how she included Maddox in her wedding day
“As a dog lover, my corgi Maddox is the first love of my life. When we got engaged, my then fiancé already knew he would have a part in our wedding day. I knew that it was going to take some planning and organization to make sure that he would be comfortable and happy while getting his photo taken. Maddox was there when Grady Proposed on Salt Spring, he came with us to choose the photo location before the wedding and he even helped when my dress was being altered.
Owning a grooming salon, I lucked out and could primp and make Maddox handsome before the big day. We had organized our good friend and Aunty to Maddox to bring him out before the ceremony for photos. Wearing a bow tie and all his noble glory my boy and me were able to share some special moments before the big “I do” .
For any brides thinking about having your paws in the ceremony, make sure you think of their needs first. Will the crowd be too much? Will the venue allow pets? Who will be handling them before and after? all these things need to be considered. Maddox trusted Aunty Lori Stove, and that made all the difference. We went to a quiet part of the venue and just had photographer, friend and myself. Also if your dog is shy of the camera, let the photographer know to keep their distance (no one wants crazy, terrified dog eyes in every pic) . Sherry Lu Photography did a great job and encouraging Maddox to relax and he didn’t miss a beat!”
6) Do not forget to include your dog in some wedding pictures! Need ideas? Enjoy these fab photos of couples’ adorable pets all decked out on the big day.
I Love this story from Carla and Dave
” I am a country girl at heart and I wanted to have my pictures somewhere that reflected that. We asked milner feed if we could use their buildings for our photos, not only did they say yes but they offered hay, props and the horse. They made she the horse was groomed and its horse gear even matched our wedding colours. they were awesome!”
Principle Designer for Bridal Beginnings