Say Yes to the Pet: 11 Ways to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding

Want to get a guaranteed yes? Let your dog help you ask your significant other to marry you. Look at that face. How could anyone say no? Rebecca Smith and her fiancé, Sean Ianno, got engaged when they were on vacation in Hawaii, so Marlow, their 6-year-old Chi-Pom mix, wasn't with them. But they recreated the moment for the camera when he joined them. "It took nearly 100 tries, I’m not kidding, to keep the ring on his nose." To make your pup-posal easier, get a bow-tie collar with a ring clip.

Nothing says "Awwww, how cute" like having your pup in those first official photos of you as a future married couple. "I’d say about 60 percent of my engagement shots include dogs," says Rebecca Enslein of The Studio B Photography in Atlanta. Enslein suggests having a friend accompany you to the engagement shoot, and then taking your pup(s) home when their portion of the shoot is over. Their attention spans are short, after all.

Another way to include your pup is to get him or her to wear a sign reminding your significant other who had you at hello, first. Your fur kid can wear it for an engagement announcement, rehearsal or other pre-wedding shindigs, or on the big day. A sign-bedecked pup makes an adorable photo.

How could anyone forget the date of your wedding if it's announced by a dog? You can buy cute signs to hang around your dog's neck with the wedding date, or go with a dog tag with the date of the big day, plus your and your significant other's initials. Pose the pup next to the rock on your hand, naturally, for the perfect visual.