Dreaming of a dog friendly wedding?

It's real, it's happening... you're planning the wedding of your dreams and working through your list of 'must haves'. Whether this list is big or small, there's one think for sure - your dog is invited!

Our beloved canine friends are there for us through everything, so of course, they should definitely be there for the best day of your life?

​We're asked all the time if our venue is dog friendly for weddings and our answer is, absolutely! (by agreement of the bride and groom of course). But for your own wedding, the sky is the limit and we'll help you guarantee your dog can be present for your wedding, for as much or as little you'd like! 

Here are our top tips for creating the ultimate dog friendly wedding:

Dan Ward Photography

Share your wishes

It's definitely worth letting your wedding coordinator know you'll be including your dog in the celebrations before the wedding. With your wedding schedule in mind, it will be easier to figure out the important parts of your day that you would like to be dog friendly, as well as smoothing out any details to make the arrangements as smooth as possible. You might also want to notify your guests that you'll be bringing your dog along and clarify for them whether you are happy for other dogs to come along too. 

Alexa Poppe Photography

Work with your dog's personality 

Weddings are busy, noisy, exciting and THE BEST THING EVER.. but they are also overwhelming sometimes. ​Nobody knows your dog better than you or how will they react to different aspects of your wedding day and chances are they will love meeting everyone and being surrounded by new smells and sights, but be realistic about how much they will enjoy and any aspects they won't, like large crowds, sparklers, children petting them etc. 

Polly Stock Photography

Get help from family & friends

Your wedding day is a whirlwind of celebrations with so many people to see and fun things to do, so if friends or family offer to look after your dog throughout the day, definitely take them up on it! They can make sure your dog is happy, settled and somewhere comfortable for some essential downtime from all the partying. 

Dan Ward Photography

Choose your venue wisely

A venue with accommodation, exclusive hire and away from busy roads, these are all really useful additions to a venue when you're hoping for a dog friendly wedding. Large, open spaces for your dog to run wild and play safely are a huge plus and means a calmer and all-round happier dog on your wedding day. 

Make sure your potential venue has somewhere quiet and out the way for your dog relax in. When the evening draws in, things get noisier and the drinks really start flowing, it's a relief to know there's somewhere for your dog to stay and relax away from the crowds and partying.

Dan Ward Photography

Make the most of photos 

Let your photographer know your dog is attending the wedding, as well as any specific photos you would like them to feature in and they can get the very best out of the setup. For excitable or super chilled out dogs, you might need treats, toys or somebody on hand to help keep their attention for the photos. 

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