Seasick ring bearer. Blood in the aisle. Attendants that eat the flowers. Stories of the wild and whacky abound when brides include pets as a part of their wedding. Nora Totonchy, owner of Bridal Bliss in Lake Oswego, Oregon (www.bridalbliss.com) says, “You never know how your pets are going to react with so many unfamiliar faces and a new and exciting space.”
A Photographic Moment
When Nora arranged Leslie and Brandon’s outdoor wedding, Leslie appointed her always well-behaved pet Schnauzer as "ring dog," accompanied by a four-year-old flower girl. Halfway down the aisle, a guest, recording this adorable moment, set his camera to flash. The dog jumped at the guest and bit his ear. Nora paused the bride’s entrance. The groom grabbed the dog. The guest left the ceremony. The music resumed, the bride marched, and Nora hustled the guest out to an ambulance crew who cleaned the cut, bandaged the ear and sent the guest back to his seat.
Edible Wedding Wear
The practical son of a wealthy family and the dedicated animal-loving daughter of another prominent family married at his large horse farm in eastern Virginia. Two of their attendant horses wore lace and silk coverings and neck garlands of carrots and other vegetables. Their male dog, a groomsman wore a specially tailored tuxedo; the female dog a bridesmaid’s dress. When the wedding march began, the bride made her entrance driving the groom’s wedding gift, a tractor, down the aisle. Amid all these non-traditional arrangements, the complication came when one of the horses munched the carrots on the other horse’s garland.
A Big Snore
Hans Gonzalez of San Ramon, California has the Assistance Dog Institute's oldest working dog — Angie, who will be 10 in August 2008. Hans, now 42, has been wheelchair bound because of the stroke at age 12. Angie goes everywhere with Hans to open and close doors, pick up things, and provide companionship and a social boost with people who otherwise shy away from Hans. Together, they attended the wedding of a good friend. During the ceremony, Angie fell asleep in the shade of the chairs in front of her, and began to snore. During the wedding, guests kept looking for who was asleep. Of course, snoring accompanies the music and vows on the video. Hans says, “Our friends are still laughing about this. Each time they watch their wedding video, they remember us.”
Drama-mine
Who better than the founder of The Canine Film Festival in San Francisco, and producer of dog videos at Smiling Dog Films to marry with pet participation? In 1992, Maria Goodavage met her future husband Craig Hanson when he interviewed her for his San Francisco television station. His dog and her dog got on well. Three years later, they married on a little fishing boat in San Francisco Bay. Their wedding was small – two participants, two dogs and two human witnesses.
Springer Nisha, the flower girl, tossed petals gently around the ceremony. Airedale Joe, the ring bearer, threatened to toss his dog cookies, thanks to a sudden bout of seasickness. Because dogs are man’s best friend, Joe made it through the ceremony on a promise he never had to sail again.
Share Your Stories
In the meantime, I’d love to hear your “pets at the wedding story.” Send a message to stories@petside.com. Carol has attended many weddings without her pets. You can read about hints about living with pets and nature at thiswildlife.com.
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