Family, friends, the perfect dress, the perfect tux, beautiful centerpieces, breathtaking uplighting, an awesome DJ or a band and more are essential to making your wedding day unforgettable. But…there is one more thing you can do that’ll be sure to make a statement on your special day, have you ever thought about incorporating your pet into your wedding? 

Your pup can have a role in your special day such as your dog of honor, flower dog, or ring-bearer, but one thing to think about before doing hiring your dog for such an important task, make sure they are well trained and can handle the stress of the spotlight. If they aren’t trained, or maybe will get too distracted walking down the aisle because they want to say hi and get free belly rubs by each guest, no worries! Have them be a guest of honor and they can sit with someone they’re comfortable with. Maybe having your pet physically at your wedding isn’t ideal, but you still want to include them in some way. There are a few ways you can do this, whether it’s incorporating your furry friend in save the dates, invitations, decorations such as place cards or a cake topper that features the couple their a dog.Two couples who had their wedding at The Renaissance found perfect ways to incorporate their furry friend into their special day. 

Emily and John included their dog, Duke, in pictures and let him walk down the aisle, how cute!Emilee and Ryan also included their adorable pup, Theo, in pictures and brought him on the dance floor as well!Incorporating your pet into your big day is so much fun. If your pup is going to physically be present at your wedding, some precautions to take before doing so would be to make sure that your dog is well behaved, inform your guests so they can prepare if they have allergies, and because it’s YOUR wedding day and you’ll be pretty busy getting married and catching up with guests, have someone be in charge of your pet. And don’t forget to bring a bag with treats and food for your dog, hopefully this will keep him or her from begging or snatching a chicken breast off of one of the tables! 

Emily Loxtercamp is a junior at VCU majoring in Public Relations, she is currently working at The Renaissance and specializes in Social Media, Marketing and Events. The Renaissance is an all-inclusive weddings, event, and banquet venue.