Weddingbee

OnyxZazu and Harrison (who like to pretend they aren’t friends, but obviously that’s not true)

So, my question to the hive is: how can we incorporate our pet collection into the wedding?

We don’t want to actually have them at the ceremony or reception. Honestly, that is just begging for trouble. Rooney does not have the amazing attention span of miss Billie Jean and the cats, well they are furry (aka not hypoallergenic) and not really wedding appropriate.

I love Miss Cream Puff’s bar menu. It is an idea I just might steal.

Any suggestions for our furry family?

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She has 28 different nicknames- because that’s what happens when you have no kids and a dog is the cutest thing in the house- but our favorite is “The Rooster.” We call her that because of the hilarious noise that she makes when she wants your attention. It has become a theme in toys and Halloween costumes.

How P.O.’d does she look?! Mwahaha!! I am so evil. Don’t worry, it wasn’t on for very long.

Neither our church nor our reception site are too keen on dogs as ringbearers, so she will only be at the wedding in spirit. Both Mr. Peacock and I are madly in love with her and we had to find a way to include her in the festivities. I am not ready to reveal our invites quite yet, but let’s just say that Maisy made the RSVP card.

Our hotel is pet friendly and we are considering keeping her with us that night. They provide walking services so it would be comparable to boarding, but without my stress over her welfare. She only takes other dogs in small doses. She has been to doggy day care, but when I pick her up she always seems scared and exhausted. I can’t imagine having so much fun at the reception while she is hiding in a corner at the pet hotel.

For the dog mommies and daddies out there, what are you planning on doing with your pooch on the wedding night?
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Thanks to suggestions from the Hive, I made Zoe a pearl necklace to pretty her up for the Big Day. It was as easy as stringing some big vintage “pearls” (already in my crafting stash) onto elastic cord and adding a red ribbon to hold the rings. The pearl collar was almost invisible in her fluffy ruff, but the ribbon stood out nicely.

(For anyone who remembers our search for a classic-but-unusual wedding band for Mr. T, we ended up with a “Love” ring from Cartier. Click the photo for a better look.)

I also made Zoe a ribbon leash, out of the wide ribbon from my bouquet handle. I just made a loop at one end the size of Zoe’s neck and a loop at the other end the size of a hand, and then secured the loops with fabric glue.

We didn’t exactly ask permission to have a dog at our ceremony venue, so the Sheltie Wrangler lurked outside till the appropriate moment, then set Zoe loose down the aisle. Zoe was a bit confused by all the people in the audience (she loooves people), but did an admirable job of trotting straight to us.

The hardest part? Untying the ribbon knots! It’s definitely best to be sure any knots are tied loosely, or you can use fake rings on the dog/pillow/etc. and keep the real ones tucked away in a pocket.

(Almost there….)

(Success!)

Who or what will “bear” your rings?
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And here’s what she made out of it:

It’s got a little clip-on pouch for the (fake) rings…

…and she even put a little “Love” clip on it with a heart-shaped ring:

As you can see, Chaucer’s mad that I’m blogging about it before he even gets to try it on:

Sorry, buddy. But I know in the chaos of this week I might be too busy to take proper portraits.

I know, I know. Unnecessary expense. But it was only $14 (we had the tie already); not bad for a 30’’ silk collar.

For anyone else including a pooch in the ceremony, did you get him/her a special “outfit”?
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It took exactly twenty 18mm pearls to make the right size collar for Lola. The $5 package that I bought had about 35 pearls in there, so I used a little more than half.

Once all the pearls are on, tie another knot in the opposite end and you’re finished! Again, I eventually decided to use a clasp because just tying the string around her neck didn’t work out very well. Once the collar is on take some satin ribbon and tie it around the clasp into a bow…I couldn’t get her to sit still long enough to take a picture of that step!

Here she is, in all her pearl collar glory:

Admittedly, she’s still not a huge fan, but hopefully if we let her wear it around the house a little she’ll get used to it. Are any of you including your pets in some pictures before/after the wedding?
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Oh did you think I meant a real kid? I can barely handle taking care of myself and a dog! Let’s hold off on that one for a few years, ok?

Anyway, I know that plenty of people include their pets in their weddings.

Duncan would look pretty spiffy in a doggy tuxedo, but it’s just not his thing. Having him there might be fun for us, but I’m pretty sure the little guy would be completely freaked out. He hates big crowds, is terrified of children, and would be much happier at home stalking my parents’ cats. We’re hoping to take him along to our engagement shoot in order to include him in the fun.

Don’t think Duncan can’t hang out in costume though- just check him out all decked out for the holidays (and note his general disgust with the whole idea, year after year).

Mr. Tiramisu will kill me when he sees these- he protests almost as much as Duncan does when I pull out the costumes.

Anyone else have just a little too much fun treating their pet like a human? Anyone going to take the plunge and dress your little guy up on your big day? Come on, show Mr. Tiramisu I’m not the only crazy one!

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So, of course we couldn’t imagine celebrating our special day without her.

But we’re having some trouble with the details. We’re going to ask a friend to be Sheltie Wrangler for the day and look after her when she’s not performing her actual duties. But how do people actually get their ring-bearing dogs down the aisle?

She would come if we called her, probably. But it might be safest if someone walked her down the aisle?

And ring bearers usually walk before the bride, right? But I wouldn’t want to miss her!

And how to adorn her? A ribbon collar with a few flowers pinned on? But what about a leash, if she’s walked?

In some ways, it seems like a lot of trouble for 5-10 seconds of participation. Except that we really, truly cannot imagine NOT having her with us!

Any advice???
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