More Than a Guest: Including Your Pet in Your Wedding Day

Some guests arrive in black tie.

Some arrive in flower crowns.

Some arrive with muddy paws, wagging tails, or a quiet curiosity about why everyone they love is gathered in one place.

For many of us, our pets have held a main-character role in the chapters that led us here. They’ve curled beside us through heartbreak, greeted us after long days, followed us into new homes and new beginnings, and eventually welcomed the person we chose to spend our lives with.

It makes perfect sense that when we envision our wedding day, their presence feels implied.

When I think about the weddings I’ve had the privilege to photograph that included four-legged family members, I realize that perhaps the greatest gift we can give the animals we love is remembering that they don’t know they’re attending a wedding.

They only know they’re somewhere unfamiliar, surrounded by strangers, loud music, unusual smells, and people whose attention is suddenly divided in a hundred directions.

That’s why the most meaningful way to include your pet isn’t always the biggest or most elaborate.

It’s the kindest.

This really comes down to how well you know your pet.

Some pets are outgoing, spirited, and well-trained. For them, it may feel perfectly natural to walk down the aisle, greet guests, and be part of the celebration before heading home for a quiet afternoon nap.

For others, it may mean visiting only for portraits before or after the ceremony, where they can simply be themselves before returning home with someone they know and trust.

And as much as we love them—and as incomplete as the day may feel without their presence—sometimes it means recognizing that they would be happier curled up on the couch than spending six hours surrounded by celebration.

And that’s okay.

I’ll go just about anywhere—and do just about anything—to capture a meaningful moment, but no photograph is worth putting your buddy through an anxious afternoon.

One of my favorite things about photographing weddings is watching couples make room for what and who matters most to them—not because tradition told them to, but because their lives already included those things, and beings, long before the wedding did.

Sometimes that’s a dog proudly wearing a bow tie.

Sometimes it’s a horse waiting patiently in a nearby field.

Sometimes it’s a cat who would much rather remain at home, represented instead by a tiny charm or collar wrapped around the bouquet or tucked into a jacket pocket.

Their presence doesn’t always have to be physical to be deeply felt.

At one wedding, a couple with an elderly pup they loved to the moon and back decided to have a cutout of her made. She stood at the front of the reception to welcome everyone—just as she did at home—and later made her way among the guests.

It was playful, deeply personal, and exactly right for them.

If you do decide to bring your pet along, a little planning goes a remarkably long way.

Choose someone whose primary responsibility that day is caring for them. Pack water, treats, waste bags, a favorite toy, and anything else that helps them feel comfortable. Give them plenty of breaks away from the crowd, and keep them well away from speakers and amplified music.

Double-check your venue’s policies well in advance.

Most importantly, give yourself permission to change the plan if your pet is telling you they would rather be somewhere quieter.

It is okay to send them home with a biscuit and a hug.

Your wedding should be remembered for joy.

That includes theirs.

Years from now, you’ll likely remember the way your dog looked up at you while you adjusted your dress, the muddy paw prints that somehow ended up on your train, or the spontaneous kiss they interrupted because they decided it was time for attention.

Maybe what you remember is the excitement on their face when you returned home to them as a married couple for the very first time.

A complete family.

Those are the kinds of moments that can’t be staged.

They’re simply little reminders that love has always been bigger than the two people standing at the altar.

Sometimes…

love has four legs.