While planning our wedding, my biggest concern was whether our dog, Diesel, could be there for the ceremony. Of course we looked for a beautiful location with a great view and tasty food, but if they didn’t allow dogs on the grounds or in the hotel rooms than the venue was automatically off the list. Thankfully we live in Vermont and there are numerous outdoor wedding venues.

You would think that some of our family and friends wouldn’t approve of the decision to have our less than obedient dog at our wedding, but I think most of them know me well enough to expect our dog to be a part of our day. I was one of those animal crazy children that always had a pet by her side whether it was a horse, dog or cat.  I spent my parent’s money riding horses—and even talked them into buying two.  I also took to dog sitting and grooming in college when I couldn’t have pets of my own, so naturally Diesel would be a part of my wedding day.

Diesel is one of the mellowest Labradors that you will ever meet, but he is a Lab and we were by a lake that had a whole bunch of people he knows, and loves, surrounding it.  We were okay with the fact that he would be a little unruly, and we knew better than to try to give him an important role like ring bearer or flower boy, so we decided to just let him go and run around dressed in a groomsmen tie.

I’m not going to pretend to give anyone advice on the best way to include your dog at your wedding because that can only be answered by you. We pretty much let Diesel be who he is without putting too many restrictions on him. If you had a different kind of animal or a more formal ceremony you might not want a huge muddy pawed Lab stepping all over your train. We just didn’t care, and we wanted to let Diesel be himself. Isn’t that what marriage is about anyway? Accepting each other for who we are regardless of our faults? My husband and family are well aware that there will always be a dog by my side and he probably won’t be sitting still.

Did you have a dog at your wedding? Tell us about it in a comment!