Introducing barking best men and bridesmaids — the newest trend to 2026 wedding ceremonies
A wedding is one of the biggest events in a person’s life. It’s a celebration of a couple’s union that brings together two families, with members of both participating.
Whether that’s the father of the bride walking her down the aisle, or a brother, father or cousin acting as the best man, and usually some younger relatives acting as flower girl and ring bearer.
But not every family member walks on two legs. There are some whom walk on four legs, would rather go around in their birthday suit than a tuxedo or dress (or maybe a collar would do), and would prefer water from the bowl to a glass of champagne.
Yes, who could forget our pets? Apparently, not many new couples can.
Headlines in magazines and online outlets tell stories of couples making sure their furry, fourlegged family members aren’t excluded from their big day.
A recent online article from People magazine highlighted one New York couple’s inclusion of their golden retriever Wally in the wedding. The pup was included in the Kuchenreuther couple’s wedding dance, carried between the two in a private last dance, seen in a video shared to their Instagram.
“When we started practicing our wedding dance we noticed our dog always wanted to be involved. So we decided to see what it would be like if we just made him a part of it,” the couple wrote in the post.
However, Wally’s involvement in the wedding didn’t begin and end with dancing; per People, the dog was also a greeter for guests, and his paw print was used for signing the wedding license. In fact, 23 states, as well as Washington DC, allow pets to serve as a witness for weddings. Yes, really.
Drew and Jarod Wayne have a wedding picture made with their furry family member Tuff. SPECIAL PHOTO
Chelsea Powell, owner of Palmetto Wedding Tails in Bluffton, South Carolina, caters to her services to couples who want their dog involved. Specifically, Powell will transport people’s pets to the wedding venue and back, after they’ve “played their part in the wedding.”
“Dogs are such a big part of people’s lives, Powell said, “they are their first child before they get married... including them only makes sense.”
Kay Tanner, owner of Seventeen Creek wedding venue in Axson, Georgia, has been organizing weddings for over 40 years. Couples including pets in their weddings is something that she has primarily seen within the last five years, having had four or five couples do so since opening her venue 11 years ago.
She did not describe it as a sort of trend, however, saying it “really depends on the bride and groom.”
“Whenever we do it, it’s a real crowd pleaser, everybody ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’,” she said. “It’s something everybody talks about afterwards.”
One couple Tanner hosted who featured their dog was her own great niece and now-husband, Drew and Jarod Wayne, and their Australian shepherd Tuff. As the couple didn’t have a ring bearer (the best man held on to those), in place of the ring bearer, a groomsman walked the well-behaved pup down the aisle. Tuff even got to hang out with the groomsmen before the ceremony, and was featured in the family photos too.
While Drew technically bought Tuff half a year before their engagement, the couple have always considered him their dog, and excluding him from their big day didn’t seem right. He was in their engagement photos, after all!
“Tuff is so funny, he thinks he’s a person,” Drew said. “He’s like a part of the family.”
The Waynes have since added two other members to the family: their first child, and another Australian shepherd (Tuff unfortunately wasn’t able to make it into the maternity photos!) “He’s always been a part of our family,” Drew concluded.
With multiple other venues across the state, and the country, willing to accomodate for pets, it really doesn’t seem like their inclusion is just some passing trend. Rather, who or what is considered a “part of the family” has simply expanded.
Tuff is walked down the aisle, in place of a traditional
ring bearer.
