Pets are the best, but you need to consider the cost of hosting them at your wedding, their ability to upstage you in the photos and, of course, what they’ll wear
Pets are our most trusted companions, so why wouldn’t we want them at our weddings? It turns out an increasing number of us are saying we do. A recent survey by Yorkshire-based wedding insurer The Insurance Emporium found a surprising number of pets at weddings – over 40 per cent of those surveyed had seen a dog attending a wedding.
More surprising still were some of the other animals spotted. Although they are generally less biddable, cats had been seen by 23 per cent of respondents to the survey. This was closely followed by pigs and then horses. So if your trusted farmyard friend or loyal steed deserves a place at the ceremony, you are in good company, even if there are certain logistical considerations you will need to factor in to planning your day.
We are less certain about the wisdom of inviting snakes and chickens (16 per cent respectively). Snakes may be a talking point, but at least some wedding guests are unlikely to feel comfortable sitting alongside them. And with chickens, there is the noise and inability to sit still to consider.
“Your pet is going to upstage you in every wedding photograph, so be prepared. We suggest you keep their outfit simple”
Pets don’t come cheap. The survey found that an average of £276 was spent by couples on their beloved pet’s wedding outfit, food, accommodation and travel. If you’re inviting your own or partner’s pet to your wedding, it goes without saying you’ll want to check with venue that they don’t mind and ensure your insurance covers the cost of accidents if your animal companion is overwhelmed by emotion during the celebration.
Need to knows are that your pet is going to upstage you in the wedding photographs and probably be talked about more than you. Still keen? Then they must look event appropriate. We suggest you keep the outfit simple – especially if your pet is not normally the dressing up type – with a simple ribbon, bow or collar in the wedding colours. A harness or lead is good insurance in case the excitement gets the better of them. Perhaps consider a safe and secure ribbon-dressed box to retreat to if your snake or chicken has to come along.
- Find out more about wedding insurance at theinsuranceemporium.co.uk
5 pet outfit specialists
Salt Dog Studios – a great variety of bow ties and harnesses; saltdogstudios.co.uk
Mrs Bow Tie – a lovely capsule collection of British-made ties for pets; mrsbowtie.com
Ditsy Pet – handmade pet collars, bandanas and bows with fashion edge thanks to dedicated in-house pet tester Sebastian Beagle; ditsypet.co.uk
Mungo & Maud – this specialist in smart cat and dog attire has a store in Elizabeth Street, SW1 or shop online; mungoandmaud.com
Petiquette Collars – softest Italian leather collars and Swarovski crystals make a winning combination for red-carpet events; petiquettecollars.co.uk
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