4 Ways to Include Your Pet on Your Wedding Day {Nashville Wedding Photographer}

October 18, 2017 Kaitlyn Holeman

*This article was also featured on the CJ's Off the Square blog.

I love it when my couples include pets in their wedding day. After all, they are family too! Here are a few tips on how to include them in a stress free way.

1. Find a Pet-Friendly Wedding Venue

Not all venues are pet friendly so make sure you ask before you book if you want to include your furry friend. Even if the venue is pet friendly, make sure they are pet friendly to the extent you need them to be. If you want your little pup with you while you are getting ready, but the venue only allows him to be outside, it might not be the right fit for you.

2. Designate Someone to Be a Pet Handler

The best advice I can give is to find a pet handler for your wedding day, since it really helps takes the stress off you! This can certainly be a guest, but it must be someone who won’t be in any of the formal photos so they can handle your pup without worrying about getting dirty, and they will be able to take them home at the appropriate time.

3. Include Pet Decor

You can add an additional touch of pet love by adding pet decor in your wedding. You could have a pet related theme on your invitations. At the wedding you can add a take-home treat table, or you could even have a 'dog park' set up for your pup and any of the guest's dogs that attend your celebration! Consider including your pup in your engagement photos and display them at the wedding location as well.

4. Know Your Pet

Not every dog is up for a wedding celebration. Some pups get nervous in crowds and just aren’t going to be a good at walking those rings down the aisle. Please don’t try to force your pup to participate when you know they won't enjoy it. If I’m talking about your pup (and don’t worry, I have one of those as well) and you’d really like to include him/her, consider having that friend we talked about bring them in for a few photos with just the two of you!

Hire a Premier Photographer for Your Pet-Friendly Wedding!

Mandy Whitley Photography is Nashville's premiere pet photographer. Mandy Whitley creates fun and playful photographs with pets and their people. She photographs portrait sessions, family sessions, couple portraits, and weddings - as well as just pets! To inquire about booking a photo session, contact Mandy!

Kia & Austin {Southeast Missouri Wedding Photographer}

December 18, 2013 Mandy2

This wedding is extra special to me because it was filled with my own family & friends from my hometown in Missouri. Kia is my first cousin, and I've looked forward to photographing her & Austin's wedding day for a very long time. Kia was a gorgeous bride - her dress from the White Room here in Nashville was amazing and fit her style perfectly - and Austin was as handsome as ever in his gray tux!

Kia & Austin's wedding day was filled with the challenges of weather that forced them to move indoors after having planned an outdoor ceremony, but the skies cleared for us to be able to go to their outdoor site for all their bridal party photos. I'm so glad it did because they are some of my all time favorites!

I loved being a part of this day with them, and I hope you enjoy their blog post today - it's so much fun reliving the day through their photos!

Lots of wedding gorgeousness ahead - and I really had to make myself stop including more and more photos - love this wedding & this couple :)

Enjoy!

~ Mandy

Missouri Wedding Photographer Mandy Whitley

Cape Girardeau Venue Wedding Photographer

Vendors:

Brides dress: The White Room

Flowers: Cape Garden Gate

Ceremony - Grace Lutheran Church

Reception: The Venue

Bridal Party Photography Location: Old McKendree Chapel

And a huge thank you to my second shooter for the day - Kendra!

Getting Married in Missouri? Contact Mandy!

Kelly & Dominic's Wedding at Christ the King {Nashville Wedding Photographer}

October 31, 2013 Mandy2

I really enjoyed my day with Kelly & Dominic. Everything was so beautiful - all the details, her dress, the flowers, the venue. But the parts of the day that really stand out to me are their ceremony and reception. Kelly & Dominic's ceremony was a full Catholic mass, and right away Kelly mentioned that it was the most important part of the day to them - which is so awesome and really how it should be, right? It was a beautiful service.

We did most of their photos at the ceremony site, but then I took the couple to the close by Sevier Park for some shots of just the two of them - I LOVE it when couples include time just for them!

Fun fact about this couple - they were best friends for 10 years before deciding maybe there was something else going on there too! I love that and I don't think you can start out marriage with a stronger foundation than 10 years of friendship first!

Speaking of friends, this couple's friends and family were so sweet to me and my team all day and were genuinely there for this great couple who they obviously want the very best for - it made the day go so smoothly!

And the reception - possibly the best dance party I've ever photographed! So much fun and so many smiling faces - it was really hard not to join in :)

And now for the best part of any blog - the photos! (and there are lots today)

Thanks for looking,

~ Mandy