Posted: Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:00 am
Associated PressKaycee English considers her dog Bowser part of the family, so including him in her wedding was an obvious choice.
"I really wanted everyone that I loved there that day," said English, who lives in Freehold, N.J., and dressed Bowser in a tuxedo T-shirt for ringbearer duty.
The idea of dogs walking down the aisle or sitting for wedding photos may be strange - even repulsive - to some, but a little planning can make things run smoothly and bring families closer together.
Stephanie Baker of Bowling Green, Ky., said she and her husband, Steven, adopted their blind dog Tucker when his story on Petfinder "tugged at our heartstrings." They rarely leave home without him and felt strongly about including him in their wedding.
She made one wedding photo a tribute to her mother, who has cancer. Baker posed in the same position with Tucker as Mom did with her own dog at her wedding 35 years ago.
The experienced brides are loaded with pet planning tips:
Designate someone to be responsible for a dog during the ceremony and to transport the pet there and back.
Don't forget to schedule a dog's trip to the groomer. "They went to the spa just like I did," Sempek said.
Bring treats to help persuade the dog to participate in the photo shoot and make sure it can sit and stay on command.
In the end, both couples thought the effort was more than worth it - and reluctant relatives came around.
"After the fact," English said, "people look at the photos and say, 'How cute is this one,' and it's always the one with the dog."