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!!

Tina + Henry's Wedding at the Vineyards at Chappel Lodge | Austin Wedding Designer & Full Service Planner

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Throughout the year, we have planned and re-planned weddings and made countless recommendations for our couples. When their celebrations finally arrive, we still feel the same sense of excitement we always experience as they are about to recite their vows and celebrate with their guests. However, given the year we’ve experienced, weddings that are forging ahead, despite the obstacles, are even more joyful than usual. We also definitely feel a sense of relief when the day finally arrives and goes off without a hitch! 2020 has taught us all the value of safely spending time with our favorite people, and it’s also taught us how to be creative. We think both are beautifully on display throughout Tina and Henry’s summer wedding. 

Tina and Henry’s wedding festivities kicked off the way most wedding weekends do – with their rehearsal. The next day, they each spent their mornings getting ready onsite at their beautiful Austin wedding venue, Vineyards at Chappel Lodge. It was a wonderful decision to make because everyone could enjoy a much more leisurely morning and early afternoon. 

Before their outdoor ceremony, Tina and Henry chose to see each other for the first time on their wedding day. They explored many of the outdoor settings together with their photographer, Amy of AL Gawlick Photography, and their adorable dog, Zoey, joined them too! One of the biggest benefits of choosing to do a first look is the photographer can also capture many wedding party and family photos in advance. That means there’s more time for couples to enjoy their cocktail hour!

Tina and Henry’s wedding color palette consisted of beautiful shades of ivory, green, and dusty blue. All of their colors were displayed on their chuppah, which was draped in ivory fabric and adorned with blooms by Exquisite Petals. With their ceremony underway, Henry waited for Tina while she walked down the aisle on the arms of both of her parents – (a nod to Henry’s Jewish heritage and one we have long loved). Then they recited their vows, officiated by a father and a cantor, in front of their intimate group of family members and friends before recessing back down the aisle as a married pair. 

After their ceremony, Tina and Henry took to Zoom to celebrate their marriage with their guests who joined from afar. A champagne toast was definitely necessary! Then they captured more photos with their wedding party, family, and photographer. We have to note the light; it was beautiful!

The celebrations continued in their tent where tables were again adorned with ivory and dusty blue blooms paired with greenery by Exquisite Blooms. The look was fresh – a perfect late summer statement! Everyone dined on a menu created by Royal Fig Catering, and guests also joined throughout the night on Zoom. We even had one speech offered all the way from Qatar!

Tina and Henry, we loved joining together with your team to plan your wedding. It was memorable for all of the best reasons during a year when we all need wonderful reasons to smile. We look forward to celebrating with you again when BIG parties are given the all-clear. Until then, congratulations again for making it official! 

 

Cast of Austin Wedding Vendors:

Photography: AL Gawlik Photography

Wedding Planner: Something to Celebrate

Floral: Exquisite Petals

Rentals: Premiere Events

Caterer: Royal Fig Catering

Cakes/Desserts: Simply Delicious Custom Cakes

Hair/Makeup: Katy Reddell Beauty

Transportation: Transportation Consultants

Videographer: That’s Amore Films

Ceremony Musicians: Terra Vista Springs

Pet Attendant: The Pet Gal

Floral/Lighting/Rental: Disch Events

Officiant: Father Louis Brusatti + Cantor Tunitsky

DJ: Greenbelt DJ

Audio Visual: Wedfuly + Ian Richardson

Weddings to Celebrate: Diana & Mickey, The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge | Austin Wedding Planner

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Diana and Mickey got married in May at the gorgeous Vineyards at Chappel Lodge. Both have beautiful daughters, and the meshing of their two families was a really sweet part of the day. If you don't know about this unique venue, you should. It's fairly new, but they are growing a vineyard near the ceremony site, which should be fully grown in the next few years. It also has several guest cottages and rooms, a nice touch for out of town family and wedding party!

Every touch of the decor was thoughtful and personal. The great room where the cakes were was decorated with tons of photos of the couple and their family. Diana's Hispanic heritage was honored with Mexican wedding cookie favors. A love bird theme was first seen in the invitations,then carried over to the programs, the custom up lighting at the reception and a sweet pair of ceramic birds placed at the couple's place settings.The couple chose a vibrant palette of purples, which was beautifully translated and complemented by King Florist. There was also a vintage touch with burlap and lace linens, and centerpieces made of vintage vases. The cakes were from Nothing Bundt Cakes--not only were they delicious, but the tiny ones are called "bundtinis." How cute!

Diana and Mickey, it was a beautiful evening, and I hope y'all enjoyed every minute. I wish you and your family the most of happiness, and thank you for letting me be a part of your day!

Enjoy these photos by the lovely Katherine O'Brien!

--Katie

Cute idea for a thank you card, huh?

Katherine sometimes uses a Holga camera to capture a special moment in a unique way.  

Cast of Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie Netherton, Something to Celebrate

Venue: The Vineyards at Chappel Lodge

Catering: Big Night Catering

Photographer: Katherine O'Brien

Florist: King Florist

Cakes: Nothing Bundt Cake

DJ/Photobooth: Complete Music

Linens: Marquee

Rentals: EMS Rentals