When you dream of your wedding day, your pet is there, standing with your closest family and friends, cheering you on in full regalia as you walk down the aisle. Turning that aww-some vision into a reality could be trickier than you think.
Deciding to include your dog or cat in your nuptials is a huge decision, one that should be made early on, according to Jennifer Cram, a wedding officiant and author of the book Pet-Friendly Weddings: A Guide to Adding Joy and Fun to Your Big Day.
“The No. 1 mistake marrying couples make is to leave the decision about including a furkid in their wedding [until] way too late in the process,” Cram tells Us Weekly. “Once you have decided to get married, the very next decision should be whether you are going to actively include your pet. The reason it is so important is that almost every other decision has to take Fido or Puss into account.”
To help engaged couples everywhere, we asked Cram to provide her best tips for including pets in weddings, because the most important day of your life should go off without a hitch (or a scratch!).