Wedding Blog
Yep. We’re one of THOSE couples. We’re including our dog in our wedding ceremony. No, she won’t be wearing a dress, but she will have our wedding rings tied to her collar. I have to admit though, Billie Jean is a little unruly. I once took her to obedience school, but she fell asleep in class almost every day. So I knew if she was going to behave at the ceremony, we’d better start training her well before the big day.
Every morning, Billie gets a Greenies dog treat. As of a couple months ago, we started to make her have to work for her treat. Here’s the morning ritual:
Mr. Penguin hand signals to Billie to stay:
He walks “down the aisle” and Billie continues to stay still for a minute. Mr. Penguin keeps his hand raised in a “stop” position.
Mr. Penguin, after a minute, will motion for her to come, and she comes. We’re trying to make her come at a slower pace, but as you can see, morning treats are a very exciting time.
Billie gets up on her hind legs, where we can untie the rings from her collar.
Voila. Next stop, Hollywood.
How are you incorporating your hairy babies into your wedding?
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Share this post: Old Dog, New Tricks
hehehehe, Billie Jean looks like my parents’ dog, Freeway! I want him in our wedding, but he’ll probably end up zipping around-whenever new ppl are at the house, he gets super excited! It would be cute to weave in some flowers around his collar though, or something like that 
Awww Billie Jean is so cute! What kind of dog is she? A Maltese mix, I presume? I think I’ll have the opposite problem…my dog will curl up in a ball and hide somewhere because so many strangers are around!
I wanted to have our yorkie-maltese in the wedding, but the FI vetoed it…and plus, who will watch her after!
i didnt mean for it to come out that way! I meant, thats what FI said.
Billie Jean is doing a great job!
Cute house Miss Penguin, I especially like all the liquor bottles on the counter 
Both Mr. Chickadee and I’s family dogs are much too unruly to participate in the wedding. Billie Jean is so cute though!
I really really really wanted my papillon, Lila, in my wedding. But FI does not want her in the wedding at all (understandable…while being very sweet, she doesn’t listen that well).
BUT, I saw this great idea that was a compromise. We would not have Lila IN the wedding, but when we’re announced as Mr. and Mrs. C., we would grab Lila and we’d be announced as Mr. and Mrs. C. and Lila. It’s like introducing the whole family. I thought it was a good idea, but FI didn’t like that either.
Seeing those liquor bottles makes me understand how you felt yesterday a bit better. Your doggie is so cute. I didn’t get to meet Billie Jean when I was at your place! Your doggy is going to steal your thunder!!
O.M.G. So cute, I can’t stand it. Is she a maltese? Shih-tzu?
Ahh, yes the liquor. We live in a loft, and its super open…no place to hide anything! we also spent every last dime we had on it, so we’ve only bought necessary furniture…I cant justify spending a grand on a liquor cabinet, or even more to have a wet bar built (thats what we’ll eventually do) so until then, its liquor (and everything else) out in the open!
Also, i failed to mention that most of my extended family is OBSESSED with Billie. If i didnt include her in the wedding, there would be some major rage. So I’ve left the dog tending to them…the venue is fine with having the dog around and she can just enjoy herself through the night mingling with the guests or hitched up at the reception.
She’s a 4 year old Lhasa Apso. She’s very big for her breed (22 lbs) but fit as a fiddle. “Shes just big boned!”
I absolutely love that your dog is named Billie Jean! She’s adorable, especially sitting up on her hind legs like that. She looks a lot like my dog Sierra. I wish we could have her in the ceremony too but unfortunately our venue is a private club and don’t allow dogs on the grounds. Saves me the hassle of figuring out how to get her home, I suppose. I think we’ll take some wedding pics with her earlier in the day though
wow your dog learned faster than mine. i REALLY wanted to put him in the wedding, but he just cannot be controlled no matter how hard i’ve been trying! i think it’s because he’s my parents dog, and we give in way too easily with him - if he looks cute, he gets a treat.
i wanted him to be the ring doggie, and i was going to get him a little bow tie, since he’s already all white (maltese.)
i have a tortoise, and if i could figure out a way to get him in the ceremony - i would…but sans a motorized cart, he would be a PITA to move!
We are having our dog as the ring bearer. He’s a great dog and we’re having my FH’s two nephews walk him down the aisle on very short loop style leashes. He’s got his own bow tie and everything. The rings will be in a little silver box.
Awww…. so super-de-duper cute! Memphis (our Boston Terrier) enjoyed doggy day camp at my parent’s house during the wedding with my parent’s dog Dudley and my grandma’s dog Sparky. The only dogs that are allowed in the chapel where we were married are the nun’s dogs… so unfair. Then again, Memphis may have made a run for the holy water instead of us if she was walking down the aisle.
My dog is going to be in my wedding no matter what. We are joint @ the hip haha. So that would be getting married outdoors or a place that will allow her to trot around. I’m thinking about having my moh which will be my sister walk out with her. And have her sit there the whole time. If she gets rowdy, no problem I’ll hold onto her! I plan to have a morning/lunch wedding so maybe someone can drop her off @ daycare after the ceremony…
HAHA this is so weird but I was looking at the picture of Mr. Penguin and I started to picture him waddling like a penguin away from Billie Jean after telling her to stay. I love aminals and will enjoy seeing your family at the wedding.
This is so so adorable…our venue doesn’t allow dogs so that sort of curtailed the conversation about bringing our Lucy into the ceremony. But her picture is in the guestbook so she is there in spirit! She’ll be chilling out at her favorite kennel for the wedding weekend so that all of the back-and-forth and excitement don’t drive her nuts.
Lorianna, your tortoise sounds awesome! Maybe if your ceremony is coming in really short you can have him walk down the aisle…would definitely buy some time!
What a cute dog!! And a fun bonding experience as you train her. Give her a hug from the hive!
My fiance had an eight year old jack russell and I had an eleven year old jr and a 2 year old jr when we met. So we are having 3 jack russells in our ceremony!!! Crazy but true! They are so much a part of our lives and the main connection as the reason we were fixed up on a blind date by mutual friends. Check out the dresses at http://www.wiggle-n-waggle.com/servlet/the-52/East-Side-Collection-Cocktail/Detail
OMG, lorianna! Putting your tortoise on a motorized cart - I would love to see that!
Billie Jean is a cutie. Good luck in the training department, my Boston Terrier came “pre-trained” when I adopted him at four years old. Six years later he’s a great 10-year-old pup, sits when asked and is better with the “stay” command when you’re holding raw organic beef above his head (what can I say, the FI spoils him incessantly).
Barney will be our ring bearer but really, I think the BM will safely have our rings. We’ve discussed FF/MIL walking the ring bearer down the aisle. They *love* him almost as much as FI and I do!
Ah, to come back as a spoiled pet in my next life…
Is Billie a Shih Tzu?! Too cute! My dog’s available for training when you’ve got Billie down pat! =) I think it’ll be hilarious to see her running down the aisle! That ought to get your guests laughing!
Billie is so cute and what a cool name. Good luck and I hope Billie makes it down the aisle at a much slower pace!
Aw, how much do I love your dog? So cute!
Mr. Hummingbird and I have a fluffy ragdoll cat named Bettie (we call her Bebu or Beebs) who we love to death, but she listens to nothing and is not an outdoor pet, so including her in our ceremony wasn’t really an option.
However, since we are getting married on Mr. Humminbird’s father’s property, we are most likely going to have his two labradors there.
It was very cute actually, when FIL Hummingbird got remarried a year ago, they had their golden lab pup wear a black bowtie. He was adorable!
Great name - and so cute! Kudos to you and Mr. Penguin for the training!
Our 60 lb. dog Comet will be at every table as the table numbers. We haven’t done this yet, but I think we are going to have a sign around him and photoshop the numbers in.
We really wanted to have our dog there but couldn’t. So we used photos of her and her “brother” (my parents’ dog) on all the table numbers. It was nice to include them where we could!
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Mrs. Penguin, Northern California
Age and Occupation: 27, Weddingbee Editor in Chief
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Doctor of Physical Therapy
Engagement Date: January 29, 2007
Wedding Date: June 7, 2008
Blogging Since: September 14, 2007
Venue: Winery in the Gold Country
About Me: I love the Spice Girls, dogs with underbites, bean burritos, making messes, high fives, avoiding showers, crossword puzzles, blogs, weddings, and blogs about weddings!
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