19 Pawsome Ways To Include Your Dog In Your Wedding

CONGRATULATIONS! You’re getting married!

(And if you’re reading this, I assume you have a dog, so congratulations on that, too!)

I also assume you’re looking for creative ways to include that sweet pup of yours in your big day. Well, you’re in for a treat - this post is full of dog-gone adorable ideas from a recent (dog-obsessed) bride.

Before we begin… a few tips for including your dog in your wedding

If your dog is joining you AT the ceremony, reception, etc., have someone be in charge of him/her for the day. It should be someone who is NOT invited to the wedding, but that you know and trust. (Major shoutout to our dog caretaker for the day: Rachel! You angel!) Having your dog with you is amazing, but you don’t want to be responsible for taking him/her to go potty, refilling the water bowl, etc. while you’re trying to… ya know… get married and all. 😁 (>> Psst… Be sure to check out this post with 5 tips to help you prepare for the big day.)
Don’t forget to pack a bag for your dog ahead of time with water, a water bowl, food, a food bowl, treats, poop bags, a leash, wipes to clean paws, any medication, a fav toy for comfort, and perhaps something squeaky to entice him/her to look at the camera. 🎾
If you’re bringing your dog to your ceremony or reception, make sure dogs are allowed.
As you know, dogs have amazing hearing. So, just a friendly reminder to be careful around loud music, noises, etc. We had our dog there for our first dance at our reception, and then he went home to rest up after a long day of being such a good boy!

Short on time? Here is the outline of what I will cover in this blog post:

Engagement announcement
Save-the-dates / invitations / wedding logo
Dog of Honor / Best Dog / Ring Security / Flower Dog
Get ready together
Subtle accents on your dress / suit
Write vows on the back of a picture of your dog
First look (Or should I say fur-st look? Eh, eh?)
Bridal party pics
First dance for three
Photo table numbers
“Sit” seating chart
Biscuit Bar with doggie bags
Custom cocktail
Cocktail napkins
Stir sticks
Bar cups
Wedding cake topper or decoration
Wedding favors
“In loving memory” display

Disclaimer: I linked some products to make it super simple for you to click and view items. While many link to Etsy, some of these products are Amazon Affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you so very much!

📷’s are mostly: www.brasskeyphotography.com & www.edricmorales.com

1. Announce your engagement with a cute picture of your dog

Planning to announce your engagement on social media but stressed about taking that perfect engagement announcement photo with your SO? It can be ruff - I totally get it!

My husband is not a big social media guy, so I had my pup Joey make the announcement for us. Joey wore a cute bandana and I hung an “ENGAGED” banner in the background.

>> here are a few Instagram captions you can copy & paste:

Dog of Honor reporting for duty ✔️
Happily fur-ever after
You, me, and the dog 💍🐕
My dog does, too
My paw-rents are getting married!
My humans are getting married!
Mom/Dad said yes!
Let the adventure begin!
We’re ready for our next big adventure!

here are a few options to dress your dog up for the big announcement - click on the item to view:

2. Include a picture / graphic of your dog on your save-the-date, invitation, website, wedding logo, etc.

It’s super cute when people put their pup on their save-the-dates, invitations, etc. You can either use an actual picture, or a graphic like this outline my friend made of my dog, Joey.

3. Give your dog an honorary title like Dog of Honor or Best Dog

Yes, you will have your human Maid Of Honor, human Best Man, etc… but if your dog is your BFF, giving him/her an honorary title in your wedding is a great way to include them. And honestly, it’s just plain CUTE!

I wanted Joey to match the bridal party, so we got him a custom tux from Etsy. Did I go over budget on this tux? Yes. Do I care? I mean… he was just SO ADORABLE!! WORTH IT!
📷 | www.brasskeyphotography.com

>> Here are some adorable honorary titles for your pup:

Dog of Honor
Pup of Honor
Best Dog
Ring Security
Flower Dog
Flower Pup
Honored Guest

If your dog is going to be part of your wedding photos & the big day, make sure they are dressed to impress! Check out some of these fetching options - click on the item to view:

4. Get ready with your dog on the day of your wedding

This is a great option if you can’t logistically have your pup with you at the actual wedding. You will still be able to get some cute professional photos together on your big day as you’re getting ready.

Sidenote: Having Joey there with me the morning of my wedding really calmed me and made me extra happy. It was so nice to have that little familiar wiggly butt following me around and giving me smooches. ❤️

5. Add subtle accents on your dress / suit that remind you of your dog

If you’re looking to go a little more low-key, you can incorporate your dog in your wedding day wardrobe. Put your dog on your socks, cuff links, tie clip, a patch, etc.

We had all the groomsmen, bridesmen, and Dads wear these cute dog socks!
📷| www.brasskeyphotography.com

>> Pro tip:

Personalized items with your dog on them make for a cute and meaningful wedding gift for your bride / groom to open on the morning of your wedding!

here are a few fun ideas - click on the item to view:

6. Write your vows on the back of a picture of your dog

If you’re planning to write and say your vows, this is a really cute (and easy and simple) way to subtly include your dog in your wedding.

Just print your favorite picture of your dog, and then write your vows on the back. Your dog will be with you in spirit, even if he/she can’t be there day-of!

7. Do a first look with your dog (Or should I say a fur-st look? Eh, eh?)

Fur-give me if you think this is corny… but I just had to do a first look with my pup! I mean, come on… it’s paws-itively ADORABLE!

8. Have your dog join in for bridal party pictures

If you can take professional photos with your dog day-of, I highly recommend it! Your absolute favorite people in the world PLUS your favorite pup in the world?! I mean… it truly doesn’t get much better than that.

My heart was SO FULL during these photos - I will always treasure these moments! Always always always.

9. First dance for three? Yes, please.

As you can imagine - this one is a real crowd-pleaser. We had our dog walk out with us when we were introduced as a couple at the reception, then we let him roam during our first dance.

He said hi to some familiar faces, and then came back to us for a smooch and some love while we danced to Justin Bieber.

10. Use photos of your dog for your table numbers

Put those hundreds thousands (lol - let’s be honest here) of pictures of your sweet pup to good use! Use them for table numbers. You can use actual photos of your dog, cartoon images… whatever your heart desires.

Here are a few cute ideas on Etsy - click on the item to view:

11. Put a picture of your dog on your seating chart

I saw this on Etsy AFTER my wedding. (Dang it!) “Sit!” What a cute idea for a seating chart.

here are 2 options on etsy - click on the item to view:

12. Put out a ‘Biscuit Bar’ with take-home doggie bags

My little sister had this cute biscuit bar at her wedding with take-home treats. People loved it! It was subtle, yet really cute.

📷 | www.edricmorales.com
Designed by: Yours truly because sometimes I like to pretend I’m a designer

>> here are a few cute sayings for your Biscuit Bar:

“We love our dog as we're sure you know, please take a treat bag for yours... to go!”
“Thank you for celebrating my humans!”
“Take a treat fur my friends.”
“Take a treat home for my fur-iends!”
“TREATS! (For dogs)”

here are some cute options for signs that match your wedding motif (& psst… don’t forget the doggie bags!) - click on the item to view:

13. Name your custom wedding cocktail after your dog

I love the creative custom cocktail trend at weddings. I think it is such a cute tradition! And including your pup just takes it to the next level.

>> here are a few ideas to help you name your custom cocktail:

Keep it simple and pair your favorite drink with the name of your pup:
- “The Joey”
- “The Ross”
Name the bar itself after your dog:
- “Chandler’s Bar”
- “Rachel’s Bar”
Use an alliteration:
- “Buffay’s Bourbon & Coke”
- “Monica’s Mule”
- “Chandler’s Cosmopolitan”
Incorporate the breed of your dog:
- The Regal Beagle
- The Pomeranian
- The Great Dane
- The Pink Poodle
Use wedding words:
- Monica’s Main-Squeeze Margarita

Here are a few different styles of signs that I found on Etsy - click on the item to view:

14. Put a photo of your dog on cocktail napkins

It’s cute. It’s simple. Everyone will love it. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!

Here are some options on Etsy - click on the item to view:

15. Use custom dog stir sticks at your bar

Okay, these are so cute. Your pup’s little head on a stir stick? Paws-itively amazing!

there is a good selection on Etsy - click on the item to view:

16. Get a graphic of your dog on custom bar cups

Is there a cuter way to serve drinks at your wedding?!

(And bonus, these can double as a take-home wedding favor.)

Check out this selection of custom cups on Etsy - click on the item to view:

17. Add your dog to your wedding cake as a topper or decoration

There are so many adorable ways to include your dog on your cake, but I HAVE to showcase this sweet pup, Bear. Look at how cute and meaningful this cake is with the frosting on his little nose! What a fun way to include your pup in your wedding. 10/10 recommend.

From a silhouette to a custom statue, here are a few ideas to get you started - click on the item to view:

18. Planning on doing wedding favors? Include your dog

Love a good wedding paw-ty favor? Add your pup! Or, if you’re not doing favors, you could donate to a really great shelter / cause and put a card at each place setting saying something like:

In lieu of a favor, a donation has been made to [CHARITY].

HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED - click on the item to view:

19. If you have lost a pup, you can include him/her in your “In loving memory of” display

This one is so sad, I know. Pups are the very best. If you have lost a sweet pup, my heart goes out to you. My little sister included our sweet sweet family pup Kirby in her “This candle burns” memory display. It was so touching and lovely seeing his cute little face included. ❤️

Alright my dog-loving friends, there you have it - 19 paw-some ways to include your dog in your wedding.

I hope this was helpful! If you have any tips to add, please leave a comment! (I am a real human who will swoon if you leave a comment and love you fur-ever!) And please tag @hayliesdailies in your wedding pics with your pup! 😁❤️