Forever Yours, Faithfully: Ring Bearer Dogs

I'm not going to apologize for my little quirks. We all have our guilty pleasures: trash TV shows, cartoons from our youth, callow celebrities.

Me? I love dogs. I like to fancy myself a dog whisperer. I'm the one getting my hands all stinky at your barbecue because your golden retriever has installed herself somewhere around my right kidney and is demanding perpetual stroking.

Handsome devils from Mobil'Homme and Charlotte Geary

When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a vet, and that lasted until someone let me into their doggie O.R., and I watched him lance a giant blood-filled blister on a floppy ear, and had to run out the door with an arm outstretched like a quarterback so I didn't pass out on the floor. And that was the end of that. (Then I wanted to be a jockey ... and then I hit 5'9".)

But I still love dogs. Move me to a new neighborhood and I'll know all the dogs' names months before I catch on to their owners'. So photos of trussed-up dogs in fancy-schmancy affairs like weddings appeals to me, the way that Moon Pies appeal to certain people below the Mason-Dixon line, and Jim Beam appeals to just about everyone right after the post office closes on April 15th.

From TankGirl and Brittany Davis

Though I will say this: people rarely hit the depths when they work dogs into their weddings. The depths are reserved for nuptial dog-on-dog action, like Pamela Anderson's celebrated dog wedding (crashed by Ali G, and rumored to be a Borat segment that later hit the cutting room floor). Today, instead of those dubious siches, we'll be examining the usually delightful presence of the dog in a human wedding.

Photos by Finstr

There's a bit of a giveaway when people bring quadrupeds into the wedding, isn't there? The couple has their game face on. The language is elevated; the clothes sublime; the entourage, tricked out with polished shoes and cufflinks or coiled hair. Then suddenly, in comes Senior Furbaby in the chrysanthemum collar. It feels like we're seeing something a little more personal, like we're actually watching Bella surf the counters at home, or Rufus worm his way between the sheets at four in the morning.

By NudeViking

Sometimes, the dog doesn't even seem to be a witticism. Take this couple. They look so serene and composed. They probably naturally form those classical triangle shapes whenever they're lounging around the flat screen TV at home. She probably tends the garden in one of Charlize's goddess gowns, and he reads Victorian novels when he's not practicing being a peer. The dog most likely has a doctorate in medieval French.

From Chris Moseley and Pearl Grace

If you want your dogs to make you look more elegant, it's smart to have rangy, handsome pooches like these guys. The little ankle-biters get stuffed into dresses, and that's never a good idea.

By Carrie Dixon

Precocious little girl, right? I'm sure she's saying, I hope you know that Humphrey Bogart is alive and well and prefers that premium brand of dog food you bought after that time you left him overnight at the vet's to get snipped.

Oh, and not to get all practical, but if you're planning on having your furbaby / bunny-quote children / etc. in the wedding, you need to make sure it's crystal-clear with your wedding planner and officiant ahead of time. Some officiants get riled about holding a ceremony with a dog involved (though garden or beach venues are typically okay). Some planners have even been bitten by clients' dogs and don't want a repeat.

From Mark Klotz

This unscheduled dog crashed the shot, and totally stole the scene.

How about you? Are you bringing the pups to your nups? And what are they wearing?

Tags: dog wedding, dog ringbearer, flower dog, dog ring bearer