With this tail, I thee wag...! | UKbride

With this tail, I thee wag...!

With this tail, I thee wag...!

Over 20% of couples marrying in the next few years are hoping to include their pets in their big day. Here, Tilly Wilkinson advises how to make sure the decision isn’t barking mad…

Man’s best friend, it turns out, is also bride’s best friend too. A new report from wedding planning website UKbride.co.uk reveals that when it polled its 692,000 members, 21% of brides were planning to include their beloved dogs, horses, and other animals in their big day.

From proposal to reception, there are so many ways to incorporate your family pet into your wedding. Search for ‘dog ring bearer’ and many online retailers are offering safe, non-toxic ways to ensure your dog can play a part in your proposal, or look after your wedding rings on your wedding day.

“On our brides’ wedding days, we’ve seen paw-print themed stationery and guest books, dogs and horses as ‘flower girls’ and pets making cameos in wedding photos, often with signs around their necks.” Says the site’s Tilly Wilkinson. “We’ve seen brides riding their horses to the church and even bunny rabbits being carried down the aisle instead of the more traditional hand-tied posy.”

However you incorporate your pet into your big day, the animal’s welfare has to be a priority. Your wedding should be a busy, loud, exciting time, and whilst humans can rationalise that, animals may find it difficult to make sense of well-meaning relatives queuing up to make a fuss of them.

All animals should be looked after, but the larger the pet the greater the potential for an excited or stressed animal to cause havoc, so horses and larger breeds of dog warrant extra caution.

Assigning an animal chaperone to take care of your pet whilst you’re occupied with the photographer is a good idea, and naturally it’s important to check that your church, reception venue and photographer are animal friendly too.

Other basics include provision for food and water, regular comfort breaks for your pet, clean-up bags, and wet wipes or similar to remove paw prints from your wedding dress.

The trend towards putting clothes on dogs and cats has resulted in lots of ‘wedding outfit’ ideas for your pets, from bow ties to top hats. If your beloved animal isn’t used to wearing clothes, acclimatise them gradually in the run up to the big day and if you’re opting for flower garlands or collars around their neck, be sure you check that your chosen flowers are non-toxic.

Finally, ensure there’s a ‘quiet space’ for pets that are finding celebrations a little too much and as you can never predict how an animals will behave in such a unique social setting, have a ‘Plan B’ in case it becomes apparent that they are really not enjoying the day.

Proverbially it’s inadvisable not to work with children or animals. However, the photographers we’ve spoken to love the opportunity to be creative and incorporate dogs and horses… and as a nation of animal lovers, who wouldn’t want man’s best friend to be playing top dog as they walk down the aisle?