How to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding

Serena Faber Nelson Founder & Pet Lifestyle Writer

Pet lifestyle expert Serena Faber-Nelson is the founder of Pretty Fluffy. A contributor to Everyday with Rachael Ray, Modern Dog Magazine, Cesars Way and more; her modern, stylized take on DIY dog treats has seen her recipes viewed millions of times over.

Serena is the author of the go-to dog mom bible, Dog Mama, and the popular dog treat recipe book, Healthy Homemade Dog Treats.

Everyone knows it: dogs are the new kids, so of course they’re going to be at your wedding.

(In fact when I got married, our dog was allowed but no kids were! That went down well with our families…)

But you’ve gotta do it right.

Wedding and pet photographer, Mandy Whitley of Mandy Whitely Photography knows a thing or two about pet friendly weddings.

She says, with the right planning and styling, a pet friendly wedding can become the wedding of the year.

Here are her top tips on how to include your dog in your wedding.

The Inspiration

Inspired by the vibrant and artistic East Nashville community that is home to Riverwood Mansion, we set out to create a fun and festive spring styled wedding that incorporated the couple’s love for animals.

With a casual, intimate ceremony under the shade of a 200 year old magnolia tree, and Southern front porch cocktails, the invitation was open for guests to bring their furry best friends.

Eclectic decor from the hands of local artisans set the tone for a creative celebration of love.

The doggie details were thoughtful and cohesive with the overall vision while fulfilling out heartfelt mission to find our couple’s pup, Etta, a local rescue dog her forever home (which did happen – yay!)

Tips for To Include Your Dog in Your Wedding Day

1. Designate someone who isn’t in the wedding party, or involved in the photos to be your pet handler for the day. This is the best advice I could give and takes the stress off you! This can certainly be a guest, usually a friend, who isn’t involved in any formal photography before the wedding ceremony.

2. Find a pet friendly venue. Not all venues are pet friendly so make sure you ask before you book if you want to include your furry friend.

3. Include pet decor in your day. You can add an additional pet touch by including a vase of dog treats, or other pet related items, to your tables. You could even have a ‘dog park’ set up for your pup & any of the guest’s dogs that attend your celebration!

Credits

For the full list of vendors involved in this pet friendly wedding visit Mandy Whiteley Photography.

About Mandy Whitley Photography

I am passionate about both photography and animals, so it is only natural for my photography business to be focused on “pets and their people.”  I love the way animals bring out the best in people, and whether I’m photographing a family, an engagement, or a wedding I think it’s important to include ALL the family members – including the furry ones!

My husband David and I have five rescue animals, and we work with several local organizations here in Nashville through fostering (in addition to me doing photos). I can’t tell you how important I believe it is to adopt – and there are rescue groups for every type of breed!

Find Mandy Whitley Photography WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM