your bridesmaid may leave you hanging, but your dogs never will

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of “meeting” Colleen Paige, a brilliant businesswoman (with lots of charisma) through Facebook. Colleen publishes a number of awesome magazines and runs some great businesses. One of those is The Wedding Dog; “human wedding design with fur kids in mind.” How fabulous!

I’ve been to a few weddings in which dogs were part of the bridal party, and these, for me, are better than candy! It takes all my self-restraint not to go over and snorgle the dogs and feed them cupcakes all day. In fact, I have a wedding coming up this year that is going to include the most adorable & awesome Piggie (a pug), whose portrait I shot a few years ago.

Having your dog be part of your wedding is non-negotiable for some brides, and those are my kind of people. But it’s not all easy-peasy like you’d think. There are a lot of things to take into consideration to make it a good experience for the dog, for you and for your guests. There’s been a lot written on this, but if you want to really do it up right, I highly recommend a visit to Colleen’s site. I’m not just saying that because I love her (though I do) or because she’s honored me as one of her “photographers of choice” for her clients (which, squee!! she did!) but because I know she has the best interests of everyone in mind, including the dog. And really, yay for that. I mean, you can’t just put a bow on your dog and expect him or her to stand still for an hour in the heat while you’re looking all googly eyed into your groom’s eyes. There are ways to do these things. So if you’re going to do it, do it right.

And if that weren’t enough, she gives 30% of her profits to The Animal Miracle Network, which exists for the sole reason of helping animals in need; whether down the street at your local shelter or across the sea in Japan (which she’s doing right now). If you know one thing about me, you know that animal rescue is my thing: like, my number one thing. I donate prints & sessions to fundraisers and I shoot for my local rescues & shelters. When I meet other people who are doing the same, they instantly become my new BFF. Seriously, just like that.

And if you think having your dog in your wedding is silly, consider this quote from her website: “when all is said and done, you can renew your vows, take another honeymoon…even wear that dress or tux again if you’ve been careful to watch those lattes with whip…but your beloved pet will only be there once, to share in the memory of the most treasured day of your life.”

*sigh*

I love the interwebs.