How to include your dog in your elopement!

So you want to elope right? You’re marrying your best friend, what could be missing? WHAT ABOUT YOUR BEST FUR FRIEND?! But can you bring your dog to your elopement? UH YES. Yes you can! There are so many things that you can do to make your elopement dog friendly and include your special furball in your big day! (Trust me, I wouldn’t want to get married without my lil fluffo EITHER!)

Give Your Dog a Title

Make your dog your maid of honor (fluff of honor?) or best man (er…dog)! You want to honor your pupper in the biggest way and give them a title that reflects that! Your pet is always there for you and supports you in everything so this is an obvious thing to do to make sure that your dog is there beside you and supporting you on your big day too!

Get your dog a bowtie, a bandana, or a flower collar to wear with pride during the ceremony! Make sure that your doggo has a good leash to wear for the day, especially if your location has laws about dogs!

In certain states your dog can sign (stamp their paw?) your marriage license as a witness as well!

Do a First Look

Doing a first look with your dogs can be a great way to include them in your elopement! Spending some intentional time with your special furry friends before the ceremony can be such an awesome experience, and can be a great way to call your nerves before the ceremony! (Everyone gets nerves-no judgement!)

Bringing some fun toys to have a little play-time with your dogs can be a great way to get some cute photos of you and your pals and lets them spend some time with their parents on their wedding day! You can bring your dogs to the location that you would like to do your ceremony, or you can do your first look with them at your airbnb, hotel or home before you head off on your adventure!

Get ready with them!

Getting ready with your doggos makes the experience feel a lot more like home. You get ready everyday with your pups underfoot so this is no different! Letting your dog hang out with you while you get ready for your elopement, lets them be involved in the preparation AND is a great way to get some cute pics with them!

You can even let them help by bring you your shoes or guarding your wedding dress (above)!

Let them be the ring bearer

If you trust your dog enough, you can even let them be the ring bearer for your elopement! Letting your dog bring the rings down the aisle is the actual cutest thing, and YOU OBVIOUSLY TRUST YOUR DOG MORE THAN ME LOL. But if your fluffball is less insane than mine, you can totally let them bring you your jewelry during the ceremony! Use a tiny carabiner clip to secure the rings to their collar instead of string or ribbon for a safer option!

Bring your dog along

Bringing your pet on your hike to your ceremony with you can be so much fun! (ORRRRRRR YOU MIGHT END UP CARRYING THEM LOL)! Make sure that your dog is fit enough to complete the journey and that you bring all of the essentials with you for a fun doggo trip! (water, water bowl, dog snacks, paw protectors) Bring a leash or even another person to entertain and watch your pet during the ceremony and during non-pet portraits. By bringing your dog along for the entire day, they’ll be in tons of pictures and able to give you emotional support throughout the day!

Include your dog in your engagement photos

Another option is to include your pet during your engagement photos! Maybe you’re going to be traveling for your elopement and your fluffy friend being there isn’t an option. You can still get tons of great pictures with your dog by having them attend the engagement session! You can even do the photos in your own home so your pet is the most comfortable!

THEN, you can print out photos and bring them to your elopement so your dog is there in spirit! I’ve seen people have pics of their pets in lockets, on the back of their vows or in frames to include in their special day. You could even skype your dog during the ceremony if the thought of not seeing their face during your vows makes you sad. This is YOUR elopement, you can do whatever the heck you want!!

I hope I gave you a few ideas on how you can include your fluffy friend in your elopement, and if you have any other ways that I haven’t seen or thought of, definitely leave a comment below to give me more ideas to share with coupes!!