How to Include Your Dog in Your Elopement Day
Our pets are part of the family and we want them to play a part in our elopement days! Especially if your dog is your fellow adventure companion you want to be able to share those special moments with them. Here are some tips on how to bring your best friends along for the adventure!
Pet Friendly Locations
This goes without saying but double and triple check that the location(s) you are visiting on your elopement day are all pet friendly. Most National Parks in the US don’t allow pets or have extremely strict regulations for pets. Even up to a couple weeks before it is good to contact the ranger station or administration for the public land you are eloping on to make sure requirements for pets have not changed. We take care of that for you as elopement planners and photographers!
Leashes
Some dogs are incredibly nervous on leash and need to be off leash, other dogs do great on leash. Every dog is going to be different with how they feel about leashes. If public lands do allow your dog to be off leash we still highly recommend keeping them on leash. Why? On your elopement day having to call after your dog every time they become interested in something new to explore might make your overall experience stressful. At the end of the day, it is your call, and you know your dog best.
Bring a Friend
By far our number one tip to bringing along your dog, while still enjoying your day is to bring a friend. As photographers it is difficult for us to do our jobs and look after your pets at the same time when we are taking portraits of just the two of you. This tip comes in especially handy during the ceremony when you want to focus on one another, and our main priority is capturing your moments. This friend or family member should be familiar with your pet ahead of time so your pet is completely happy and comfortable around them.
Food, Water, and Treats!
Like any adventure you go on bring plenty of food and water, we recommend twice as much as normal just in case. Now for the important part, treats, bring as many treats as you can fit in your bag. These will come in handy for general cooperation and of course during photos when your photographer wants them to look at the camera. We have a few tricks up our sleeve to get your dog to look at us! Don’t forget a collapsable dish or two to feed them from.
Consider Leaving Your Dog at Your Pet Friendly AirBnb
If your dog regularly displays any aggression towards other dogs or has any sort of anxiety out on walks or hikes we recommend bringing them along for getting ready and first look at your AirBnb, but leaving them behind for the adventure. They can still be a special part of the best day of your life, but without the possibility of something going wrong or making your pet feel uncomfortable.
Involve Your Dog in Your Engagement Session Instead
Want the day to be a just us experience? Book an engagement session and involve your dog! This is a much more laid back 1-2 hour long session where getting distracted by your pet once in a while won’t take away from special moments with your partner. It can be fun for your whole family to be involved in!
A Few More Tips from a Dog Owner
We LOVE dogs and have tons of experience working with them, but we’re actually cat owners ourselves so we asked a dog owner for a few more additional tips.
-Bring Plenty of biodegradable pet bags for cleaning up after your dog.
-A towel to wipe muddy paws. They’re going to be excited to see you, but you might not want their excitement all over your attire!
-A cute leash and/or collar. You can even get a flower pin for your dog from your florist!