As the music struck up, I began the walk down the grassy garden path to my wedding. I had my adult son Tom escorting me and we were both holding the leads of my two spaniels , Ellroy and Larkin. For a brief moment, it was everything I had pictured. And then came the first of many moments of chaos.
Larkin, a two-year-old dog that the vet euphemistically describes as ‘lively’, used his teeth to rip off his floral bandana before promptly throwing it into the stream. With no time to worry about it, and thinking it would look odd if only one dog wore a decorative neckerchief, I quickly removed Ellroy’s too and tossed it in a bush.
This day had been months in the planning, and while I knew having our four-legged friends involved could be a recipe for disaster, my fiancé Andy and I would never have had it any other way. Some may shudder in horror at the idea of a ready supply of meaty biscuits and frequent wee-stops on the way to the altar, but the trend for pets at weddings is booming. According to recent research from Guide Dogs UK, an astonishing 94% of couples want to include their pet on their wedding day. This tallies with a report from Money.co.uk which found that Google searches for ‘pets at weddings’ had risen by 200% in a single year.
Until I met Andy, I was never really a dog person . He, on the other hand, has had spaniels all his life, and in 2015, a year after we met, he adopted Ellroy – a furry golden angel who wanted only to be near us. I fell in love with him instantly – he was affectionate, adorable and obedient. That was why, four years later, we decided it would be a great idea to acquire a second spaniel. Enter handsome, black and white whirling dervish Larkin, son of Ellroy. I adore him in the way you love your naughtiest child . In his first year with us, he ran away several times and ate six eggs and the box they came in. When Andy was painting a wall and left the paint tray briefly to clean his brush, Larkin ran through it, coating himself.
But we absolutely love them and spend most of our time with them, we even go on dog-friendly getaways specifically so they can come on holiday with us. So when Andy proposed in August 2020 and we began wedding planning , I knew there was no way we could leave them out of the biggest day of our lives.
Aside from giving them a starring role on the invitations I designed – with a joke family crest featuring them both holding the coat of arms – we decided that they had to be the ring bearers. There was just one thing we were both slightly wary of. While we knew Ellroy, who never puts a paw wrong, would be on best behaviour, we had concerns that Larkin, whose fond nickname is ‘the Dark Lord’, might cause chaos. A few friends who had met Larkin also questioned our wisdom in making him a ring-bearer when we explained our plan – in fact, words like ‘disaster’ and ‘insane’ were bandied about.
Still, we felt that as long as the dogs were happy, we’d be happy. Plus, there would be no children or other dogs among the guests, so we weren’t worried about safety either and we ploughed on with planning.
Anyone who knows Cocker Spaniels knows that ‘behavioural consistency’ is not a key trait, so we didn’t see a need to practise anything with them. Besides, it was only a short walk on leads down the aisle – how hard could it be?
Yet as I tossed Ellroy’s bandana in the bush I realised just how naive I had been. As I arrived at the end of the grassy ‘aisle’ where Andy had been waiting for me with our celebrant I breathed a sigh of relief. And then, both dogs decided to have a fight in front of the fifty guests. They were snarling and snapping like the T-Rex stand-off in Jurassic Park. I could have panicked or been mortified. Instead, Andy and I fell about laughing. It was certainly a memorable start to the wedding.
Tom then wrangled them to the front row where his girlfriend plied them with treats so we could begin our vows. Naturally though, just as we reached the part with the rings, Larkin – who had the ring box carefully tied to his harness – tried to make a break for it. Luckily, the best man caught him before he plunged into the stream.
At the wedding breakfast, true to form, Larkin lurked under tablecloths, awaiting dropped food. And Ellroy decided he had to get in on our first dance .
Having our dogs as part of the wedding made it all the more memorable (and hilarious). And looking back on that day, I wouldn’t have it any other way. All the best weddings should reflect the couple, and what matters most to them. Our beloved family and friends were all there, so of course our dogs were, too and I’d encourage every couple to bring their pets to the wedding if they can. Just be sure to make sure there’s a dog-sitter, or a dog-loving guest willing to look after them for the rest of the day, so you can relax if you can. And I’d also say keep their involvement short, keep a tight hold on their leads and most importantly, never, ever make them wear floral bandanas.
