Dogs in Weddings - A New Definition of Family?

Sep 28th 2010

When I married my husband a little over six years ago, we took our time deciding on the food and the flowers and the location, but one of the things we both agreed upon right away was that we'd have our dog, Yuki, participate in the wedding.

It wasn't easy. We were married on a beach over three hours away from where we lived, and had no wedding planner or even any friends or family residing in the area, so just getting Yuki to the ceremony was a challenge. She was young too, an extremely hyper pup who nearly pulled her designated wedding-dog walker down the stairs and threw up from all the excitement right before the ceremony, something my friends wisely kept from me until the next day.

Still, we never dreamed of getting married without Yuki there. She was an important part of our family, and I couldn't imagine walking down the aisle without seeing her sweet face. Yuki died a year ago, and I can't put into words how thankful I am to have the photos and memories of her from that amazing day. If we were to do it all again, our current dogs would be right there beside us; there's not a doubt in my mind.