Curious about how pets fit into your big day? Read on to find out how to include every type of pet in your wedding—and how to determine if it’s the right fit for you, your pet, and your guests.
Your wedding is a big day for you and your SO—and maybe your pet. Depending on your pet and their personality, including your pet (or pets!) in your nuptials can make your wedding day feel more complete (not to mention make for some great family photos). If you can’t imagine your day without your lovable canine, cat, or other critters, read on. Here’s exactly how to include every type of pet in your day.
Before you include your pet in your wedding plans, you need to ask yourself whether your pet actually wants to be involved. Some pets are social, friendly, and great with people. Other pets are nervous in crowds or around a lot of noise. The stress of the wedding day could cause them to act out.
Before you decide to include your pet in your nuptials, ask yourself:
You know your pet best. If the answer to any of those questions is “no,” you might want to reconsider including your pet in your actual wedding.
No matter what type of critter you consider part of the family, here's your guide to making them part of your day.
Dogs are a human’s best friend—and if you’re a pup parent, when you’re walking down the aisle, you’ll probably want your best friend by your side.
There are a number of different ways you can include your dog in your wedding.
Incorporating a cat into your wedding can be a bit trickier. Cats tend to be more independent—and less social—than dogs, but if you have a particularly friendly, calm cat, here are a few ways to involve your feline friend in your wedding:
Have a furry friend that’s more on the unconventional side? No worries! Guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, mice—you can include any small, furry animals in your wedding—as long as you take the right precautions.
If you’re going to include a small, furry animal at your wedding, it’s important to always keep them in their cage. The smaller the animal, the easier it is to lose—and if you’re getting married outside, it’s important to protect your pet from any predators in the area. Also, while you may love your small, furry creature, your wedding guests might not be so enthusiastic.
If you’d like, you can take your pet out for wedding photos (as long as you hold them), but as a general rule of thumb, small, furry animals should be kept in their cages for the entirety of the wedding. If your pet is comfortable around people, put their cage in a high-traffic area (like the guest book table) so your guests can stop by and say hello.
As far as pets go, birds might be the easiest to include in your wedding, as long as you follow one cardinal rule (pun intended)—and that’s keeping them in their cage.
Even if your bird is well-trained, you don’t want to allow them to fly loose at your wedding. Not only might it make some guests uncomfortable (not everyone wants a bird to land on their shoulder), but you also risk your pet flying away. And, let’s be honest—do you really want to spend your wedding day running after your bird as he flies off into the horizon?
If you want to include your bird in your wedding, place their cage somewhere where they’re exposed to all the action. You can even buy a decorative cage just for the occasion. Just be mindful of your bird’s habits. If they have a habit of squawking, you’ll probably want to move them to an enclosed area before the ceremony—unless you want your vows interrupted by a bird call, that is.
If you have a pet snake, lizard, or another reptile that’s captured your heart, you can incorporate them into your wedding—but just make sure to proceed with caution. Of all the pet categories, reptiles tend to be the pets that make people the most nervous. So, similarly to small, furry animals, it’s important to make sure your reptile is caged for the wedding.
But also like small, furry animals, if your reptile feels comfortable around people, feel free to put their cage in an area where they can feel like a part of the festivities (and curious guests can say hello—at a safe distance).
No matter what kind of pet you have, there are a few things you’ll want to consider before deciding whether to incorporate them in your wedding:
If for some reason, you can’t include your pets in your wedding day, there are still ways to include them in the fun!
Your pets are a huge part of your life and they can be a huge part of your wedding, too. Consider your guests and put the comfort and safety of your pets first to make it a success.