3 ways to include your dawg in your wedding — and get perfect pics!
Dogs are part of the family, so it’s only natural to want to include them in your significant life events. In this article, Julie Butcher from pet brand Webbox shares her tips for capturing perfect moments with your pooch on your wedding day.
If you feel like everyone and their dog is getting married at the moment, you’re not wrong — it’s predicted that there will be 350,000 weddings by the end of 2022, nearly 200,000 more than usual (Truly)! But while interest in weddings has boomed, so has the number of us owning pets. Even if you’ve had your dog since well before the pandemic, there’s no denying that we’ve been spending more and more time with our four-legged friends than ever before, building stronger bonds in the process.
Dogs have always been part of the family, but now many soon-to-be-weds are eager to include their pets in their wedding plans. If you’re one of the thousands of Brits planning a wedding where your dog is a member of the party, you’ll want to know how to make sure if goes off without a hitch — and how to make sure you can get the best photos of your pooch! Below, I’ll share a few tips for doing so.
Make them look the part
Whether you’re the bride or groom, a lot of time and effort goes into your wedding attire. And, to make your dog look the part for your big day, you should consider their wardrobe too! For example, you could match their collar to your wedding colours, or even find them a little outfit to wear to co-ordinate with the bridesmaids and ushers. Just remember that some dogs may love this, but others may not — it’s really important to prioritise your dogs’ needs and wellbeing to make sure they’re happy and comfortable for your celebrations.
You could include a corsage or boutonnière on your dog’s collar to match with your bouquet, provided these are made from flowers that aren’t toxic or irritating to dogs. Popular options for weddings that are dog-friendly include some common species like roses, daisies, and sunflowers, but you can speak to your florist to be sure your dream arrangement won’t be harmful to your pet.
Another fun way to make your dog part of your big day is to include them on your wedding cake with their very own cake-topper version of themselves. If you’re inviting a few of their doggy pals to your wedding, you could even have a special cake just for them made from dog-friendly ingredients!
Hire a professional dog photographer
You’ll no doubt be hiring a top-notch wedding photographer to help document the event and get the best snaps of your big day. Professional photographers not only provide the right equipment to produce high quality mementos of your wedding, but they can help direct your shots to capture special moments and relationships — as well as make everyone look and feel good!
But for a wedding where your dog is involved, it’s important to hire a photographer with experience in taking pictures of pooches. Dogs can be difficult to direct, especially in an exciting new environment like a wedding, where there are lots of people around. A photographer with experience working with pets will be able to work with your dog and capture their good side, so all you’ll need to worry about is creating memories.
You might even want to meet with the photographer before the big day and hold a little rehearsal with your pup, making sure that you have some poses up your sleeve that you can easily recreate when the time comes.
Get lots of candid shots
Another way to get memorable wedding photos that include your pooch is to take plenty of candid shots. Even if your dog is behaving, it’s good to have some variety in your snaps so that you can remember all the little details of your big day, in addition to your perfectly posed photos. So, why not include your dog in your wedding in different ways so they appear in your photos organically?
For example, a common way for couples to include their four-legged friends in their wedding is to have them as the ring bearer. To pull this off, attach the ring boxes to their collar or harness and keep a couple of their favourite treats handy at the alter to help tempt them down the aisle. Your photographer can then take natural, unposed photographs of your dog in action, and not only will your pooch love being centre of attention, but your guests are sure to enjoy the spectacle too!
The tips in this guide can help you plan a picture-perfect wedding day where your pooch is part of the fun. Remember that a professional photographer with experience working with pets can really make a difference to how your wedding photos turn out, so be sure to keep an eye out for any doggy snaps when viewing their portfolios.
