Dogs in Wedding - Why and How to Include Them In Your Special Day→

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We are pet people at Something to Celebrate. While we love ALL weddings, we won’t lie, a wedding with a dog is just something special! You might be wondering why & how should you incorporate your fur baby into your wedding, especially if you can’t have them there in person. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

This is the easiest way to incorporate your pets because you can take them near your house and they require the shortest time commitment. Use these photos on your save the dates, or print off and frame as many as you want and display them at your ceremony and reception for everyone to enjoy!

Photo by Nancy Aidee

Photo by Nancy Aidee

YOUR ATTIRE

This one is for the guys! Have some fun but keep it classy with socks (either just with your dog breed, or even custom ones with your exact pet) and cuff links like Mike. If your wedding is a bit more on the casual side, go crazy with your tie! In this day and age of so many custom clothing options, you can almost do anything, just make sure it fits the formality level of your celebration.

Photos by Laurentina Photography

Photos by Laurentina Photography

SIGNS, STICKERS, AND MORE!

There are so many options when it comes to signage and paper products, so use your imagination and have fun! We have seen lots of creative ideas in the past, and while we would love to share them all, it would take awhile, so below are just a few recent ones.

  • Custom stamps, SO SO cute! If you have stamps, that means you can always include your pets on your invites as well.

  • Make COVID precautions a bit more fun with custom stickers to indicate how comfortable your guests are with social distancing. Hopefully this particular use will be gone soon, but stickers are here to stay!

  • Were you planning on doing assigned tables for your guests? If so, it will be one sign that you know everyone will be looking at, so of course you need your furry friends to be front and center on that sign!

  • This is a big day, it’s the official start of a new family, so why not document it with an adorable sign with ALL your family members. You could easily make a sign that you also use as a guest book and have your friends and family sign. Or you could be like Kady & Nathan and just show off your newest piece of artwork for everyone to enjoy!

  • Turn their adorable faces into photo booth props, and then they really be part of the celebration!!

YOUR BAR (AND BONUS FAVORS)!!

There are so many fun ways to include your pets into your bar and that is probably why we see this the most! Even if you are having a formal wedding, the bar is always a fun place, so you can use this area to bring in a little bit of whimsy into the evening.

  • Have cups made with an illustrated version of your four legged friend and your new married name on the back. Keep them at the bar so they can used during the wedding, but order extra because guests will want to take one (or more) home as a favor!

  • Sure, you could make a signature drink named after you or your fiance, but naming it after your pet is way more fun! It could be as simple as giving a traditional drink a new name for the night (like Kasey & Ed did with their margarita “The Willie” and old fashioned “The Carter”). Or turn your pet’s name into the drink, like Tina and Henry did with their “Zoey-Rita”!

  • If thinking of drink names is too much, or you aren’t doing a signature cocktail, we’ve still got you covered! You can name your bars! Haley & Tyler named their three bars after their three dogs, Cash, Credit, and Debit (Tyler is an accountant if you are curious).

  • If you are going to take the time to name your drinks after you dogs (or cats, anyone, maybe, one day..), you better have a sign made!! It can be a be on acrylic or printed and in a frame. The picture can look like a computer graphic, can be hand painted, can be a custom watercolor, again, the possibilities are endless.

  • Last but not least, what is a bar without koozies and beverage napkins! Skip the monogram and opt for furry face instead!

CAKE

Before you start to doubt us, yes,, you can include your dogs on the wedding cake and not just the groom’s cake! Traditionally the groom’s cake is the more “fun” one, but you can fit your furry friends into anything you want. Actually incorporate them into the cake, like Haley & Tyler’s cake eating trio), or make them a topper (in plastic, metal, or icing form). If you still want just a traditional wedding cake with a hint of your loyal companion, grab an extra beverage napkin and display it on the cake table for a beautiful (and still elegant) photo!

INCLUDE THEM IN YOUR CEREMONY

Don’t know anyone to be a ring bearer or flower girl? No worries, your pet is up to the task! But the task they are ready for is looking adorable in photos and making your guests smile. Having proper wedding etiquette is not. They might stop to literally smell (or eat) the roses, chase a squirrel, or decide to jump on that beautiful new white gown they have never seen their mom in. So whenever you have your beloved animal at your wedding, they need their very own companion. Companies like The Pet Gal can even board them when you are gone during wedding weekend and your honeymoon. On wedding day they will bring them to your ceremony just in time for photos, stay with them during the ceremony (because as much as we love them, they don’t love us enough to sit through a 20 minute ceremony), help with with post-ceremony pictures, and then take them back home. Weddings are loud and full of strangers, and that can stress your dog. So let them stay just to spend time with the two people they love most in the world, and then let them go back home for a nap!

PHOTO TIME!!

How many days of your life are spent with a professional photographer following you like a shadow? Probably not many, so take advantage!! You are both dressed to the nines, so get your furry friend the cutest bow tie, or a flower collar, and you will treasure these pictures FOREVER!!

KISSES

Last but not least, include them for the kisses. Yours or theirs, they don’t care. They just love kisses!!

Haley + Tyler's Briar Club Wedding | Houston Wedding Coordinator

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Haley was a “Covid Bride” so we were originally scheduled for her Wedding ceremony at a church with the reception being held at The Junior League of Houston. When we had to postpone, the Church and Junior League did not have dates that lined up and she decided the Church was more of a priority to her than the reception venue so we found a new venue which was The Briar Club.

As we got closer to the wedding date, the capacity restrictions were still extremely limited at The Church and she would only be able to have her immediate family attend the ceremony. Because of that, she opted to move everything to The Briar Club and do a room flip in the Main Ballroom.

The capacities at The Briar Club were then reduced as well so we could no longer do the room flip and maintain the capacity restrictions so we finally landed on Plan D - which was to have the ceremony in the main ballroom with the guests seated at their dinner tables and seating for immediate family members on the dance floor so she would still have an “aisle” to walk down.


This family went through SO many changes during the Covid rescheduling process as we also planned her sister’s wedding during the same period of time experiencing all the same ups and downs. We shared lots of laughs and tears throughout the process but Haley (and Tyler) handled everything with grace.

Haley and Tyler started their wedding days apart from each other with their wedding party at Hotel Zaza in the heart of the city. Then Haley and her bridesmaids, followed by Tyler and his groomsmen, were transported to The Briar Club to enjoy the rest of their day. When Haley arrived, the first thing she did was share a first look with her dad! Haley and Tyler opted not to see each other before their ceremony because they wanted their first glimpses of each other to be when she started to walk down the aisle. 

When we were talking through details about Haley and Tyler’s wedding ceremony, we decided to introduce dashes of modern style that would pair with the timeless feel of the space where they would wed and celebrate later in the evening. A circular golden hoop featured bright pink flowers by F. Dellit Designs offset on the piece, and it offered just the right amount of color and whimsy. It was our favorite detail of the day, and it’s also the spot where Haley and her bridesmaids captured many of their photos!

Once they were officially announced as Mr. and Mrs., Haley and Tyler enjoyed dinner tucked away together. We always highly recommend that our couples use cocktail hour to enjoy their first meal together because this time ensures they’re able to take a quick break from their guests and enjoy each other’s company before the dancing begins.

Inside the ballroom, tall centerpieces by F. Dellit Designs filled with classic flowers, like dahlias, garden roses, and standard roses caught everyone’s eye throughout the night, thanks to their bright pink palette. Haley and Tyler’s wedding cake by Cakes by Gina also had their bright pink floral theme woven throughout, and their circular hoop served a new purpose as the backdrop for the DJ, Goldline Entertainment. 

On the dance floor, Haley and Tyler shared their first dance together. Then, each danced with his or her parent before the floor was opened for the rest of the night. Haley even jumped behind the DJ booth! After the last song played, Haley and Tyler had one last memorable wedding moment together when their guests tossed confetti before they jumped into a pedicab.

Thank you so much to Agape House Studio for capturing every moment of Haley and Tyler’s day! We have loved sharing the images from this sweet celebration with you.

Cast of Houston Wedding Vendors:

Venue: Hotel Zaza

Planner: Something to Celebrate

Photographer: Agape House Studio

Videographer: Wedding Films by Mia

Floral: F. Dellit Designs

Cake: Cakes by Gina

Rentals: Aztec Events & Tents

Beauty: Blush and Company

Lighting: GTX Event Productions

Transportation: Pedicab Group

DJ and Photobooth: Goldline Entertainment

Rentals: BBJ Linens, Rose and Co, LG Event Entertainment & Production