Best Man or Man’s Best Friend? | Pets and Event Planning
We’ve all seen the photos on Pinterest — Cute labradoodle wearing tutu and dainty flower crown carries ring box down the aisle and doesn’t even stop to lick adoring guests along the way.
If you’re imagining a wedding (or any celebration for that matter!) that includes your furry friends, here are some creative ways to incorporate them into your event that you may not have considered.
Pets on Paper
Maybe your pet doesn’t quite understand the concept of petiquette well to attend the celebration itself and, you know, that’s okay – we can’t all have a beautiful wedding with well-trained animals to boot (we can guarantee you that beautiful wedding, though)! Instead of inviting Rover to the ceremony, invite guests to the ceremony using Rover!
Save-the-dates and invitations are great ways to feature a beloved animal that only capture their very best side. Whether it’s a photo or a drawing, guests are sure to be drawn to your furry (or scaly — no judgement) friends. A wonderful example are these custom save-the-dates by the talented Lindsay Sacco, a local artist and owner of Sacco Studios. Check out her Etsy shop for more! If you love what you see, let Lindsay know that you’re an Overeasy Events customer for a 10% discount.
Follow Sacco Studios on social media:Instagram – @saccostudiosTwitter – @saccostudiosPinterest – @saccostudiosFacebook – facebook.com/saccostudios
Other ways to incorporate animals on paper include event-musts like the seating chart, the welcome sign, the program, or even a paper fan in the shape of little Luna’s kitten face (for those outdoor weddings)! If you want your pet to be more of the theme than just a small detail, this could be a great way to highlight them “from afar”. The question to ask yourself here is “how prominently do I want my pet to be featured?”.
Pets in the Processional
This isn’t necessarily a “new” idea, but maybe you didn’t realize that you could give your pet(s) the invite without giving them any responsibility! Best of both worlds for that puppy that just won’t sit still with your groomsmen for the entire ceremony. Designate a couple of friends or family members as the ‘pet handlers’ and have them process down the aisle before your wedding party with your pet(s). Guests will get the chance to ooh and aah over your babies, but those babies won’t get in trouble for slobbering all over the rings (because they didn’t need to carry them)! Once the animals have made it down the aisle, they’re escorted to the back of the venue or out of the venue completely by their handlers and you don’t need to worry about whether or not they’re causing mischief while you’re saying “I do”!
Pets in Pictures
If your pet is lucky enough to warrant an invite to the day-of celebration, they could always sneak into a few pictures before or after the main event. Just make sure to let your photographer know ahead of time so that they can plan accordingly. Likely, you won’t want them in every single shot, so make sure there is someone waiting to bring them to and from the photo shoot.
If you don’t want to worry about your animal(s) during the big day, that’s okay too! It does not make you a bad fur-parent. Perhaps including your creatures in your Engagement photos would be a better idea or creating a totally separate shoot to focus on your little family. If the idea of a first look doesn’t appeal to you and you’re okay with seeing your partner all dressed up before the real deal, you could ask your photographer to take some “dress rehearsal” pictures and bring your pet along. That way, when you look back, it will seem like they were there on the big day (when really, they were snoozing happily at a Doggie Daycare).
Pets in Place Settings
If all-pet-everything sounds a little bit over the top to you, maybe incorporating your animal(s) into something slightly less visible, like a guests’ place card, is for you! Little Fido’s face sure would look nice next to your Aunt-at-table-12’s name. This smaller detail ensures that each and every guest knows just how important Fido is, but it allows you to go in a non-Fido direction, thematically (because gray-blue florals and succulents are the real theme!).
Another adorable way to spotlight the little cuties is to order custom linens for each place setting! This is certainly a pricier option than something like name cards, but the impact is greater, too. These cocktail napkins, by locally owned Lettermade, would be stunning on any tablescape and could be created to complement your color scheme. They’d even double as a sweet favor if you wanted them to!
Follow Lettermade on social media:Instagram – @shoplettermadeTwitter – @shoplettermadePinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/maljacqueline/Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/shoplettermade
Party Favor Pets
If cocktail napkins aren’t your cup of tea, there are any number of ways to feature your fur baby in the form of a favor! Personalized cookies are a fairly common, delicious way of doing just that, but here are some other ideas for pet-related guest gifts: luggage tags, printed cups, stickers, or even a pop socket! Make sure to order a few extra because you know you’ll want to treat yourself to this favor, too!
Do you have other ideas for incorporating man’s best friend into a celebration?! Let us know – we’d love to hear about them!