Hi :)

We've had an idea at work that we could provide a wedding service to couples who would like their dogs at the wedding.

We would board the dog (I work at a boarding kennels), bath and blow dry him/her in the morning, and then take them to the venue to be part of the photos etc. We would also liase with the florist so that we could co-ordinate the bow/bow-tie on the dog to match the colour scheme.

Is this something that would interest you if you were getting married? Or if already married, would this have appealed to you at the time? Just looking for a bit of feedback really from dog loving people :)

Thank you,
Kate

I would have liked to have had my son's favourite dogs at the funeral, but the practicalities (bringing her and taking hrr home again) prevented it, especially as it has been so hot.

My Daughter had her 3 dogs ( 1 terrier and 2 Boxers ) at her wedding. She had sailor collars made for them that fitted over their own collars (with the blue and white large flap part of the traditional sailors collar) on their shoulders. They are standing proudly in all the wedding photos like pageboys.
Perhaps you could have various collars etc that people could hire as well, I think it is a great idea.

(I dont believe in dressing dogs up in hats or clothes, but a fancy neck collar is acceptable for me on a special occasion like this ) or perhaps a collar in a ring of flowers for a bridesmaid dog - the mind boggles

We had our Golden Retriever as Best Man when we got married. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed in the registry office, so we had to leave a family member outside during the ceremony to look after him (wasn't going to leave him in a car as it was May and fairly warm), and he was then able to join us for all the photos.   I don't think I personally would be happy to hand a dog over to a stranger, but I am sure there are people who would -after all, those used to breeds that need to go to the groomer would be used to leaving them on a regular basis.

Our two now departed girls were doggie bridesmaids and were at the ceremony and also were allowed to have access to the hotel.

They did get taken home after the evening do to stay with friends as we went on honeymoon the next day.

They have home made collars with satin roses glued around it.

Nice idea but most people I expect would have friends or family to help.

It's not something that interests me, I personally feel it is very confusing for a dog, the last thing I would want on my wedding day is dog hair on my wedding dress and a dog being totally confused as to why I was so busy dealing with other people etc. that I had no time for him/her. Then being taken away from beloved owner by a stranger is worse than when first being taken to a kennel, your dog would need to be pretty laid back not to also want to go potty when seeing their owner after being away somewhere.

So for the dog, I don't like the idea at all............

But, people do it, (so pay no mind to what I think :-) ) and for those who want to it's a good idea as what to do with the dog before and after the ceremony/photo's is a problem so perhaps this is an idea that has legs Sugar. :-D

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think people would go for it, specialist things like this always have an audience, so as you've popped your idea on a public board......... I'd move fast and get your advertisements/flyers out and the business set up quick before others think of it too. ;-)

Good luck!

My friend had her horse at her wedding and in the photos. Mind you her wedding dress was actually styled on a Victorian side saddle habit so it did fit in!

My lot weren't  confused , they lapped up the attention and none stop fuss !

They especially loved the special dinner they enjoyed with us !

Many dog walkers around my way offer this service. I have no idea on how popular this is though

Thank you everyone for your replies :)

Nice to see a mixed response with points that we need to think about. Re dogs being moved around by, and spending time with strangers - maybe a day with us first to get to know us a bit may be an idea. We do visit days for all new dogs that board with us on holidays , so I suppose this would be no different to that.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and giving a honest opinion, I do appreciate it :)

I'm sure there are kennels here that do it but not sure how popular it is.

I think well behaved dogs should definitely be allowed in churches and registry offices and many other places too.  Noisy children can be far more of a nuisance in public places.......

My friend does a horse and carriage with Dalmatians running along behind (as they would have traditionally) it looks so beautiful and as Dalmatians are my favoured breed I would have loved this. :-)

My great aunt could remember a wedding in their house in Celle (Germany) where the groom rode his horse up the staircase to bring his bride down...

I got married in my mother's house the first time and our long haired dachshund Monty was very much part of the proceedings. Not dressed up in any way--just grimly planted between me and my husband, making his point as usual bless him. Monty was right :-D

> My great aunt could remember a wedding in their house in Celle (Germany) where the groom rode his horse up the staircase to bring his bride down...

I would love that but I don't think even a Shetland pony could get up the stairs in my little house...

Ooh I would have loved that! Hubby though he loves our dogs would never have gone for having them at our wedding though, and both sets of parents would have thought it insane, so perhaps it's just as well you weren't setting up back then.....

In a word -YES!!!!!!!!!
Am currently planning our wedding and it crossed our minds to have the dogs as part of our big day but with so much going on it didnt seem fair on them or the person who would have to have responsibility for them.
What you have mentioned seems a fantastic idea.
Just out of interest where in the country are you ??

Thank you for all your replies everyone :)

Luckily we're sticking to dogs and don't have to arrange horses going up stairs - that really would be an amazing sight though!

Freds Mum - we are in Shropshire, just outside of Shrewsbury.

Gutted. You are too far away for us :-(
But I say go for it...theres definitely a gap in the market for this!!

How far away is too far away?

We think there is definitely a gap too , googled for this kind of service by us and nothing came up. We've been looking after dogs for 26 years , same owner the whole time and have an excellent reputation. We're hoping this will appeal to people and they'll feel they can trust us with their beloved pets :)

We are in Devon :-(
To be honest, more and more people want home boarding now as opposed to a commercial kennels where you cant guarantee your dog is going to get the care and attention it needs but to be able to offer the additional service of grooming and preparation and then to bring the dog to the wedding is absolutely fantastic!!!
:-)

When I got married forty years ago last Sunday, we had an Irish Setter and I have a picture of him giving me a lucky horseshoe. This was at home as the photographer came to do some pictures in the garden. Was also joined by a young blackbird who I had raised from a chick who didn't want to miss out on the occasion! We then left Sunny at home, but it would have been nice to have him with us for the rest of the day instead of having to arrange for a neighbour to pop in from time to time.

Yes that is a bit too far away ;)

We are already a succesful kennels and are usually fully booked March all the way through to October. This is an extra service we're hoping to provide as we thought there was a niche in the market ... just need to get a few extra staff :)