I was so excited that you are engaged. I was thinking that the first thing you have on your mind is how I can include my golden in the wedding.
Besides, I can’t just leave him home on the biggest day of my life. He’ll get lonely.
This is a problem I’ve seen a lot of couples deal with. They want their dog there, but no one tells them how to do this without it being a disaster. My cousin attempted this last summer with no planning whatsoever, and the lab knocked over the flower girl and ate a boutonnière. We laugh about it now, but it was quite a moment.
Your wedding deserves better than that.
Whether your dog is just a part of the family or your favorite pooch, it’s never too late to include him in the fun of your big day! Here are 17 dog wedding ideas for you to consider.
#1: The Dapper Dog Who Showed Up to the Wedding Looking Better Than the Guests
Have you ever gotten dressed only to have your dog decide that you should sit on your freshly steamed dress, only moments before leaving the house? Well not this dog. He came dressed and pressed.
He’s got a black and white tuxedo bandana with a bowtie and buttons printed on it and I like that. This neutral background means that everyone is looking at him and that’s exactly where he wants them to be.
As a similar alternative, you could buy a tuxedo pet bandana (just search for “dog tuxedo bandana” on Etsy and they’re available in many sizes). Then add a black clip leash to keep the look neat.
What to do: I want it to lay flat across their chest so they look dressed-up, not bunched up under their chin.
If you need some more ideas then get him one monogrammed with his name, because this dog is just too handsome not to have everything personalised.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @fairytail_petcare
#2: Custom Pet Figurines That Look Exactly Like Your Dog
There must have been a time that your golden retriever did something so stupidly cute and you wanted to freeze it forever? I remember last winter, my friend’s dog would come up on the counter and stick his tongue out (just like the bottom-left figure!) and she would say she wished she could freeze that forever.
These are hand-sculpted polymer clay figurines. They are painted with breed specific markings and details such as bow ties, flower crowns, or pearl collars. The figurines in the top left are a matched pair and would make a fun wedding cake topper or shelf piece.
What about the round pendant-style medallions in the bottom right? Those are resin-coated, metal-rimmed cabochons with a portrait of your dog!
2. Dog Cake Topper. It has to be exactly the coat pattern and personality of your dog (not a random dog from the craft store).
Good news: [image]@foxandbeegifts will paint you a custom piece of art using your photo! Send them your best golden retriever photo![/image]
Then add a cute dog accessories ideas for your pup to her gifts for a gift set that any dog mom will cry happy tears over.
They also make wonderful “in memory” pieces (not just for weddings).
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @foxandbeegifts
#3: Custom Dog Cocktail Napkins That Steal the Show
You know what I’m talking about. Someone at a party is trying to find a napkin. I remember someone at my cousin’s wedding last spring grabbed a napkin with the face of her golden retriever on it and people were actually fighting over the extras so they could take some home.
I really like these napkins! They’ve got the sweet faces of our two golden retrievers printed in a warm taupe on little white cocktail napkins. The message says “Drinks On Us” with their names and the date below. Guests will stop and stare at these!
To recreate this, order custom illustrated pet portrait napkins through Etsy shops that specialize in line-art pet drawings. You pick the font, the phrase, the ink color. Most sellers work from a clear photo of your dog.
I like this idea. And I like the sketchy style of the portrait. But if you put it on a photograph it looks cheesy. Try to stick with one or two colors or it’ll look like mud when printed on paper.
Keep this in mind: Perfect for birthdays, housewarming parties, or any Sunday brunch with your golden as the star of the show. Let the napkin talk for you! People will definitely ask you about your dog and before you know it, you’ll have a whole crowd of people sharing their own pet stories!
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @furryventures_petcare
#4: A “Biscuit Bar” Display Shelf for Your Dog’s Besties Who Couldn’t Make the Party
You have probably all had the thought of planning something huge, big, maybe a wedding party, and your dog just can’t come. You feel guilty right? I know I did when my cousin got married and her dogs had to stay at home.
Adorable! Give it a gold-frame elegance and a little dog-mom sweetness with this sweet project. Two gold metal etageres hold rows of wrapped dog treat bags tied with dark green satin ribbon, framed couple photos, and small tea light candles tucked between all those treat bags.
Find 2 matching gold open shelving units, about 60-70 inches tall. Fill each shelf with cute treat bags. Put a frame with a picture of your dog in between each bag of treats. Add a sign on an easel and you have a perfect sign for your dog’s birthday. You can even add some paw prints!
Fill the treat bags with 2-3 homemade or store bought biscuits and wrap in clear cellophane. Tie with a bow. Add a dog themed touch to your bags by printing custom labels to stick inside each bag.
Make your sign copy funny. One that I saw was “fur my friends who couldn’t make it to the pawty”. It made people stop and smile and reach for a treat bag for their dog at home.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @barkorganix
#5: Pet Face Cocktail Stirrers for the Wedding Table
I know just how you feel about your Golden. Like she’s a family member, she has her own spot on the couch, a stocking at Christmas, and probably her own opinion about your throw pillows.
These are the cocktail stirrers of energy. Make it wedding.
Each glass also comes with a round card printed with the couple’s monogram (“T” for “Lauralyn and Mark,” of course) and a custom acrylic pet face topper shaped like one of the real animal. Each comes with a fluffy Shih Tzu, a tan dog, and a cat in a tiny bow tie.
There are glasses with lime wedge garnishes, and it’s sitting on a white linen tablecloth next to eucalyptus and cream roses.
I ordered my acrylic pet portrait toppers through Etsy and had them cut from my photo. I then attached them to pre-printed monogram tags from the print shop (using a 1.5″ hole punch).
3. Thread each tag on the stirrer and drop it into the glass before you stir, so it will sit flat on the rim.
This is the key: When you buy a pet topper, you put it on the rim of the glass so everybody can see it without having to dig around to see whose glass is whose.
If you have already designed your invitations, pick a tag font that matches that font. It will make things much easier on yourself!
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @jenniferevansevents
#6: White Floral Watch Bands That Make Your Wrist Look Like a Pinterest Board
You know that feeling when you see something and it just feels like it was made for you? Yeah, that’s how I felt when I saw these watch bands and I even took screenshots and sent them to 3 different people.
These are white leather watch bands that are printed with hand-drawn sketches of flowers and animals. One has wildflowers and stems of roses scattered across it. The other features a greyhound leaping through a field of poppies. Both fasten with silver snaps and a standard slide-through buckle. It’s nice that the hardware is matte, not shiny.
They are very well harmonized. They are also not identical. So you can interchange them depending on your mood without buying a new watch.
It’s a bit rough around the edges. It’s handmade. And it will do just fine with a neutral outfit.
If you have an old silicone watch band that’s starting to look a little shabby, it may be time for a new one.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @houndsquadshop
#7: Custom Acrylic Pet Portrait Bar Sign for Weddings & Parties
You are the star of every party. Let’s make it official!
I chose the arch sign because of the shape. It’s acrylic and has the pet portraits watercolor-style pictures printed on it. There are two dogs and one is wearing a white collar with a blue bow tie and each one is holding a glass. It’s propped up on a hammered metal drink tub and I would have thought it was pinned on Pinterest.
here’s how to make your own. i’ve been ordering these acrylic prints from etsy lately for the simple fact that they are super cheap and come in all sorts of crazy sizes (i’ve seen prints 8×10″ to 12×16″). i just added a hammered silver galvanized tub for ice and some bottles, and the watercolor portrait style makes it look a bit editorial/keepsake-y.
Send your dog’s picture to an Etsy seller who does pet watercolor portraits on acrylic. Make sure to ask for the background to be transparent so that you can put the sign on both sides of the bowl. They cost $17.00, but if you order 3-4 weeks out you don’t have to worry about express shipping.
It’s not too reflective so you can see your dog’s face in every party picture. And seriously, everybody stops to look at it.
It gets better. It’s a keepsake for you forever after the event. Frame it, put it on a shelf so your golden can have a portrait that will never move.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @furryventures_petcare
#8: Custom Dog Wedding Favors — Personalized Treats & Napkins for Your Pup’s Big Moment
I mean, your golden is always the life of the party so when my best friend asked if she could include her dogs in her wedding, my immediate reaction was “how are the dogs going to enjoy it?”.
That’s where this idea stopped me cold.
How cute is this?! Bone-shaped dog treats with the dogs’ names on them (Bogey & Birdie), custom gold foil cocktail napkins with a pet portrait, and cellophane treat bags tied with a forest green velvet ribbon on raw wood. The label says, “Thank you furry much for celebrating with our humans.” Awww.
or my favorite, the gold foil cocktail napkins with your golden on them, oh yes there are several places you can get them for under $40, so buy yourself some custom dog biscuits from an etsy bakery and put their name on it.
This is something I wish that someone told me before the wedding day. Those napkins are a keepsake too and I wish I would of framed one after the day. No regrets.
Lay everything out on this reclaimed wood tray for that Pinterest-worthy, editorial treatment. Mix up your treats (bones, paws, hearts) without spending a dime more.
If your golden is part of your everyday home design, then I’d bet this would be a fun gift for other dog-loving visitors to your home.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @barkorganix
#9: Dog Face Cufflinks — The Sweetest Detail a Groom Can Wear
You know that feeling when you see something that is so personal, so “them”, that you want to cry? That’s what these cufflinks do to me.
3Silver, round cufflinks – one on each sleeve of a traditional black wool tuxedo jacket and a crisp white French-cuff dress shirt. You may not notice them, but they will sting.
How to get the look: You can try Etsy to find a jeweler who can make you a set of cufflinks with your dog’s portrait. Just search for “dog face cufflinks silver” in the search bar. Most of them will need a clear photo of your dog to work from. A good pair of cufflinks should cost around $40-$80.
5. Custom Cufflinks. Adorable, right? Not only are they adorable, but they have a little story behind them. Wedding guests will be talking about your sleeves all night long.
Send a photo of your golden’s best close-up of their face, good lighting, at least 3-4 weeks before your wedding. Most of my Etsy sellers need this runway time.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @keenevents
#10: Backyard Dog Wedding Under a DIY Floral Arch
Fun fact: this made me actually gasp. Two dogs dressed up as a bride and groom standing under a twig and tulle arch (covered in white fabric and fake magnolia flowers. I have never seen anything more Pinterest in my life.
I’d say the groom dog is wearing a little black tuxedo vest and the bride has on a ruffled white collar and a white bow veil. The arch is just a few branches loosely tied together with jute twine and a piece of sheer white organza.
DIY: The Wedding Arch (Crafted by Candy & Paintbrush) – This is easy to create! You’ll need four wooden dowels or thick branches for the arch frame, 3-4 yards of white organza and faux white flowers from your local craft store. Glue the flowers onto the joints. The tuxedo vest and bridal collar can be found on Etsy for under $25 each.
The trick is to build the arch the night before. Then you’re not trying to fight branches while staying in the arch as two excited dogs spin in circles around you.
The arch needs to be short, under 3 feet, so that it actually frames the dogs in the photos, rather than being so tall it towered over them. If your dog loves being the star of the show like my dogs do, this is also a really cute way to do a pregnancy announcement with your pup!
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @goodrobotbrew
#11: Bride & Groom Dog Bone Treats for a Wedding Celebration
Your golden is the life of the party, so of course she needs the perfect dress for the wedding.
They’re small, bone-shaped dog treats covered in royal icing, decorated with bride-and-groom theme. The bride bone gets white pearl sprinkles and three round white buttons near the top, while the groom bone wears a black tuxedo with a bow tie and two buttons. Both leave the top of the bone plain, so you get a golden-brown, deliciously baked texture – what a chef’s kiss!
You will need some dog bone shaped dog treat cutters, a basic oat and peanut butter dough, a pet safe royal icing in black and white, and some white nonpareils for the pearls on the brides head.
I pressed down on the icing (while it was still wet) so that the sprinkles would stick better. Make sure not to let the colors get muddy when applying. I did one color at a time and waited until each color had dried before adding the next.
2. And if your dog’s birthday is coming up next, here are 13 adorable ideas for your dog’s birthday photoshoot to get you started!
These are the sweetest wedding favors for guests who love their dogs or a sweet treat for the bride herself on her big day!
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @boneappetitbarkeryny
#12: The Tuxedo Dog and His Mini-Me Stuffed Twin
This is one of those shots where your golden just sits there grinning like a doofus and you want to frame it like a portrait. Well that’s exactly the energy I get from this photo- a senior golden in a black tuxedo bandana and orange bow tie. Next to his tiny doppelgänger- also in a tux. Awww.
How to: Puppy as Best Man. You will need a tuxedo-style pet bandana (like this $12–18 find on Etsy), and a golden retriever stuffed animal in the same size and style. Dress the toy yourself in a doll-sized bow tie and a scrap of dark fabric. For more inspiration, check out 7 Adorable DIY Dog Clothes Ideas to Try.
Shoot outside on gravel or garden path with the warm dappled light filtering through the trees. Perfect for a golden fur.
Grab a stuffed animal that is the closest color to your dog and your mini-me picture will come out that much better.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @mycaninelife
#13: The Dapper Dog Bearer — When Your Pup Is Officially Part of the Wedding Party
So this picture here stopped me in my tracks and I immediately sent it to 3 people.
Threesome. Three guys in black tuxes. One of them has an adorable little fluffy gold Pomeranian. I’m dead.
Need to recreate the above idea for your next event or even just a styled shoot? All you’ll need is: a mini dog tuxedo bib collar (buy them on Etsy for under $15), a bouquet boutonniere, pinned to the dog’s collar, and just a groomsman who loves dogs enough to hold them the whole ceremony.
Of course, a bonus is handing the dog to the most nervous person. It keeps their hands busy and my heart rate low.
Make sure your dog is okay with being held for a long period of time on the wedding day (practice makes perfect). Put your dog in the outfit a few times before the wedding day so it’s not new and scary for him or her.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @richardmoskovitz
#14: Custom Dog Portrait Cups That Make Your Wedding Reception Unforgettable
Ever have one of those guests that pick up their drink, begin to laugh and then they stop, show their friend or whip out their phone? These cups do just that.
2) Two cups frosted with a picture of a golden retriever and “I do too! Love, Finn”. One cup with a gold beer, the other with a red cocktail and a paw-print straw. Cute, huh?
Buy these custom 16 oz frosted shatterproof plastic cups from one of many shops on Etsy that will print your pet’s portrait. Just send them a clear photo of your golden and they’ll send you a cup with your selected font. Very easy! Finish the look with these paw-print paper straws.
It’s the same reason a loose, hand-drawn sketch looks great on frosted glass but not on a realistic-looking photograph.
You must order at least 3-4 weeks in advance to allow time for proofing and delivery.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @rubiandlib
#15: Custom Dog Breed Drink Stirrers for the Reception Table
If you’re planning your wedding, how do you plan it so it feels like “us” (Golden Retriever included).
I love these. Someone is holding up 6 white paper stir sticks with hand drawn dog faces on them – a poodle, a golden retriever, a French bulldog, an English bulldog, a doodle, and a corgi. Black ink on white. Simple, but the kind of thing that makes guests stop and say “wait, that’s adorable!”
The shop behind this is Scriptivity, and they do custom pet stirrers. Get your own with your golden’s face on top! You’ll want to order a batch if you like the color scheme.
Order them early. They are hand drawn so it takes a little while to do them. I love putting them in the champagne flutes on our cocktail hour table, not just on the bar – people will take pictures of them more that way.
And my cousin did the same thing at her bridal shower last spring. Her guests thought they were the favors and half of them tried to take the stirrers home!
Get one stirrer per guest minimum, plus extras. They disappear fast.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @scriptivity
#16: Golden Dog Silhouette Place Cards for a Wedding Reception Table
I can remember looking at Pinterest until midnight and finally seeing something so smart that I actually gasped? Yep…that happened to me the minute I saw these yellow dog silhouette place cards.
The front of each card is cut out in the shape of a Labrador or Golden Retriever dog and they are proudly standing next to the wine glass. This adorable couple used a navy velvet napkin, gold flatware and a printed “Five Star Menu” card. What a thoughtful touch!
Grab a yellow card stock or acrylic sheets. Go to a Cricut or Print shop to have a dog shape cut out for you. I wrote all the guest names in a dark script font (navy or forest green looks good against the yellow).
Place cards and keepsakes that your guests take home. Which means your dog-loving friends will be talking about your table for years to come!
Sit them down by breed and let their shadow match their real dog. Personal, free and really unforgettable.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @thecanneryatoneward
#17: Surround Your Pup’s Face With a Floral Wreath for Wedding Photos
I think it’s fair to say that your golden is the best dressed guest at every event. Why not make them the moment? This shot is magical: a fluffy, red-golden doodle peeking through a circle wreath overflowing with white roses, pale blue delphinium and soft green eucalyptus. This is giving Pinterest front page and I am not sorry about it.
I used a 12-14″ grapevine wreath base from the craft store, but wire in some faux or fresh white garden roses and blue delphinium clusters (these are available at Trader Joe’s and/or any florist). You can fill in the rest with eucalyptus stems to fill it up.
HOLD the wreath at the dog’s eye level and take the shot from slightly above so their face pops out of the flowers like a little portrait.
Make sure that none of the flowers fall into the hole in the center of the wreath. You don’t want to see their flowers in their eyes.
If you are taking this photo at an outdoor event you will need a second person to hold the wreath steady while you take the photo.
📸 Photo credit: Instagram @wags_of_love
The One Thing Most Dog Weddings Get Wrong (And How to Fix It)
The secret nobody ever tells you: your Golden’s stress level will make or break everything. All the time.
They plan around the aesthetic — the flower crown, the little bow tie, the ribbon they perfectly coordinate with the bridesmaids’ ribbons. And honestly, all of that is super adorable. But a reception venue full of strangers, loud music, and weird smells is sensory overload for your dog.
I saw my cousin’s lab completely shut down at her ceremony last summer (tail between legs, panting and all). It broke my heart a little.
Have a full dress rehearsal at the venue at least a week prior to the wedding. The idea is to recreate the same outfit, same spot, and same energy as the day of. Let your pup sniff everything and be with you without pressure.
Another tip (and it’s the one that actually saves people) is to have one person who’s just watching the dog. Not taking photos. Not chatting. Just making sure that the dog is comfortable the whole time.
That single decision changes everything.
Your Golden Deserves a Clean Home Too
You don’t need to choose between loving your dog and loving your space. Just pick one protector and try it out for a week. See what happens.
Your sofa will love you and so will your sanity.
If you have a cool dog and you wanna be Pinterest cool, check out 7 Creative DIY Dog Bowl Stand Ideas!
that don’t seem like much but it all adds up. Just one less thing to stress about. One less thing to think about when company is coming over.
So which room does your golden wreck first?
Amr Mohsen is a software engineer who traded his keyboard for a leash — at least on weekends. His love for dogs inspired him to share what he learns as a dog owner and enthusiast, bringing a detail-oriented, research-driven perspective to every article he writes. If it’s about dogs, he’s probably already looked it up twice.
