Dogs at weddings — yes, your dug can come.
One of the questions I'm asked most often, usually a bit sheepishly, is "...could our dog be there?" And my answer is always the same: some of the best moments I've ever seen at the front of the room had four legs. A humanist ceremony can happen anywhere in Scotland, which means it can happen anywhere your dog is welcome — a beach, a garden, a dog-friendly venue, a hillside. Here's how to do it well.
Jobs a dog can actually do
Ring bearer is the classic, and done right it's magnificent. When Laura & Marc married on Garry Beach on Lewis, Gelert the greyhound trotted down the sand mid-procession with the rings clipped to his collar — and it's the moment every guest still talks about. Beyond rings: walking down the aisle with the wedding party, sitting with a trusted guest through the ceremony, starring in the photos, or simply being there for the confetti. On another Hebridean beach, two brides I married had their dog beside them with a bow on its collar for the whole ceremony — part of the family, exactly where it should be.
Making it work
The single most important decision is the dog wrangler: one named person — not the couple, not the best man with seventeen other jobs — whose entire role is your dog. They hold the lead during the vows, produce the treats, and take the dog off for a walk when the party starts. Attach rings with a quick-release clip or a wee pouch rather than tying them, keep the ceremony-side jobs short, and feed and walk the dog beforehand so the star of the show isn't wired. Outdoors beats indoors for most dogs — another argument for a beach or hillside ceremony — but plenty of venues are dog-friendly for the ceremony hour; it's one of the first things worth asking on a viewing. And tell your photographer in advance: the dog shots are always, always the keepers.
The honest caveats
Not every dog wants a job, and that's fine — a nervous dog is happier arriving for the photos and going home with a pal before the band starts. Have a plan B for weather if your dog is doing an outdoor job, check any guest allergies, and if there are two dogs with two very different temperaments, give the steady one the rings. None of this needs to be decided early — it's the kind of thing we work out together when we plan the ceremony. As far as I'm concerned, if your dog is family, your dog is welcome.