Weddingbee Blog

On an episode of HBO’s Sex and the City, Charlotte York says, “Everyone knows you only get two great loves in your life.” Like Carrie Bradshaw (the one time where I can honestly make this comparison) I don’t necessarily believe that this is true or even a valid way of conceptualizing the vast possibilities of love in a person’s life. That being said, though, I do have two great loves in my life right now. The first is obviously Mr. Mole. He is first by a long, long shot. The second, though, is our dog, Tom Boonen.

Such a handsome face?

In November 2009, Mr. Mole and I started to talk about adopting a dog. I quickly put my vote in for a dachshund. Mr. Mole suggested that we think about getting a greyhound. I had never thought about having such a large dog, but Mr. Mole talked me into looking into the possibility.

(Mr. Mole says that he was influenced by his friend, who adopted a greyhound the year before. I blame The Simpsons.)

Santa’s Little Helper!

Image from Wikipedia.org / From the TV Show The Simpsons

We decided to attend a meet-and-greet at PAWS in Chicago the following Sunday. The adoption agency, Greyhounds Only, decided to bring three large males to show. This decision lead me to believe that all greyhounds were in the 70–80-pound range. I realized that this belief was false much, much later.

Anyway, we fell in love with Tom Boonen, nee Cal’s Bama Breeze, at first sight. He was about two years old then, having retired early from an underwhelming racing career. We immediately put in an application. The rest of the process was a whirlwind: Mr. Mole had a phone interview, we had a second visit, and Tom Boonen was dropped off. Less than a month had passed between the suggestion of looking into dog adoption and actually adopting a dog.

For those of you who might be curious, Tom Boonen’s “last” name is pronounced Bone-en. So it’s kind of a pun, albeit one that we have to explain thousands of times to people. If I am feeling particularly short on time, I will tell strangers that his name is Tom.

Quite honestly, the first month was tough. People will tell you that greyhounds don’t bark—but they do. And ours did. A lot. At 3:00 AM. In our faces. He whined in his crate. He chewed through the baby gate. He destroyed a Beanie Baby, sending tiny white beads all over the loft. He was skittish in the snow, sometimes refusing in the middle of an intersection to walk any further.

What it means to adopt a dog in December

But, as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And, in our case, it made us closer. Mr. Mole and I decided that I should move in that December. I like to think that Tom Boonen gave us that nudge in the right direction. The three of us lived happily in Chicago, somewhat less happily in Milwaukee, and now happily again in Los Angeles.

He’s a softy at heart.

Tom Boonen is such a huge part of our lives that I am actually a little bummed that he cannot come to our Vegas wedding. While we are reciting our handwritten vows (more on those later!) and eating the best frites ever, he will be in Los Angeles at a no-cage kennel. However, I did find a way to incorporate Tom Boonen into our wedding. Here are our place cards for our reception, purchased from an amazing seller on Etsy.

Image via JonNI – Paper and Decorative Arts

Greyhound place cards! (well, whippet place cards, but close enough)

I love them so much! They came beautifully packaged as well. HUGE shout-out to JonNI!

Are you going to be incorporating your pets into your wedding in any way?