Wedding Hive Podcast
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Wedding Hive Podcast
026 - How a Pro Makes Your Pup Shine on Wedding Day
We sit down with Alex from Canine Celebrations to unpack how professional pet attendants make dogs part of weddings without stress. From pre-planning and safety to venue rules and the sweetest ring-bearing moments, we share practical tips and stories that help couples decide the right role for their pup.
• what a wedding pet attendant does and why it matters
• meet-and-greets, pre-planning, and custom dog plans
• calm handling, leash work, and reading body language
• sample wedding-day timeline for dogs on site
• roles for dogs: ring bearer, flower pup, dog of honor
• safety protocols, GPS tracking, pet CPR and first aid
• venue relationships, rules, and growing acceptance
• booking timelines and Arizona-wide coverage
• breeds, temperaments, and tailoring the role
• heartwarming stories and value of portraits with pets
• reassurance that dogs need not be perfectly trained
Make sure to check out Alex and her team at caninecelebrations.com or on Instagram at canine_celebrations. Be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for further episodes
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Hey Queens, it's healthy and great with the Wedding Hive Hive. Giving you the tea and all the buzz in the wedding world. Let's jump right in. Hey Queens, welcome back to today's episode of the Wedding Hive Podcast. The Wedding Hive is here to help you with the tips, tricks, tea, and all the buzz in the wedding world. My name is Kelsey. I am one of your co-hosts. Grace, our other co-host, is currently in Europe celebrating her one-year anniversary and honeymoon. So she is not with us today, but today we have a very special guest. Her name is Alex with Canine Celebration. Alex, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having me. I am so happy you're here. We have we met, was it about a year ago? Yeah, it was about a year ago. A year ago, we met on site at the venue. And I kind of became obsessed with you after our meeting because you provide an incredible service to the wedding industry and to couples, not just um on wedding day, but if they are needing any support outside of wedding day when it comes to their very sweet uh fur baby. So um, Alex, can you tell us a little bit about your service, what you provide, and how it is incorporated in couples' wedding days? Sure.
SPEAKER_01:So we are wedding pet attendants. Um, so I always say we're basically your dog's personal assistant for your wedding. I love it. Um so we do everything from like picking them up and taking them to the venue to helping them be part of the day. So whether that's walking down the aisle or being in pictures or being the ring bearer, whatever that looks like. Um, and just making sure that they're comfortable and all of their needs are met during the day because it can be a little overwhelming if you're a dog at a wedding. Um and then yeah, we assist with photos, um, making sure that those shots are looking good and it's not overwhelming for anybody involved with the pictures, too. Um, so we come with like squeakers and treats and all of the things to make it fun for them. Um, and then we take them home and we can do pet sitting before and after too. So we do boarding out of our home, my husband and I, and then we have a few members on our team that do in-home sitting too. That is a dream.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. What um inspired you to um provide this service?
SPEAKER_01:I honestly just saw a need for it. Um, so I'm a full-time dog trainer, first and foremost. So is my husband. Um, and we started having people ask us to do this as our couples started getting married, our dog owners. And it was honestly the best thing ever. Just so much fun and just a good time all around. Um, and then we started noticing when we would go to weddings personally, that there was always a friend or family member assisting with the dog and just didn't work out as well. Um, either the dog was uncomfortable or put in situations where they we could tell they were stressed or the family member wasn't able to enjoy the wedding as well. Um, even at our own wedding, our dog ended up eating the cupcakes off the table. So no way he did. Um I bet they were delicious. Yeah, no, he had a good time, but then he had the best time. Yeah, not the next day. Um, and we certainly didn't have the best time when there were no cupcakes. But yeah, we just saw a need for it. Um, and so we opened it up to the public, and it's been the best job ever.
SPEAKER_00:I I love my dog and I love animals, but I'm not the I wouldn't say I'm the best with them. Like I don't know how to um handle crazy, but I have seen you work and I don't even know if it it almost reminds me um of like this like spell you're able to put on the pet. And I know that's not a real thing. So, but you keep them so calm and happy and content. And we've even had conversations um, like at a wedding, where you're so uh calm to be able to say, all right, here, let's walk over this way because a situation that is headed this way is going to rile up sweet pup, and you're able to handle it so well. So is that come from um just like your dog training knowledge? Do you get to know these pets prior to wedding day? Or yeah, is it just because you're the dog whisperer? Well, thank you. Move over, Casper.
SPEAKER_01:We found the new one. Caesar Milan, get out of here. Um, I'd say it's definitely a mix of both. So we do meet and greets with the dogs beforehand and we do a lot of pre-planning too. So we don't just show up that day, pick up your dog, and just roll into it blind. Um, so the meet and greet's really important because I can get a really good sense for your dog's personality and temperament. Um, and then I get to play with them a little and become like a really fun person to them during that too. And then we do a lot of pre-planning calls with the couples beforehand just to talk about your like your dog's personality, their likes, dislikes, and what's gonna make sense for them. Um so we have a pretty good plan for each individual dog going into the day, but training definitely helps. Um, with training, I've done a lot of work with bringing dogs into like high distraction areas. I do a lot of public access type work. I'm really into the therapy dog side of things. Um, so knowing dogs' body language is really important and when they start to get uncomfortable and realizing that before the situation escalates, and then also like leash work is so important because that's how you're talking to them. Um, and we like play a lot of games with the dogs, like before the festivities even begin, just to get them like relaxed and calm and engaged with us. So, yeah, there's a lot of like communication going on with the dog, um, kind of like behind the scenes. Yeah. Yeah. Um, can you walk me through a wedding day? Yeah. Yeah. I would say typical wedding day, um, whether we're picking up the dog or not, we will get on site really early. Um, so typically the sweet spot is anywhere between like an hour and a half to three hours before. And that's gonna depend on the dog. So if it's like a senior dog, a little less time. If there's like three dogs, a little more time. So you will work with multiple dogs. Yeah. Uh-huh. We do. And we'll have multiple handlers for that too. Um, so we get there pretty early just to let the dogs acclimate to the venue, especially if we haven't done like a rehearsal or anything beforehand. Um, and then we want to make sure that they're as engaged with us as possible. Um, because again, like weddings are so exciting. There's a lot of people. There's usually like some really good food that they can smell and noise and all of that. So we're gonna play some brain games with them to keep them focused and engaged on us. We're gonna walk them down the aisle, get them really comfortable with like the tight space of an aisle. Um, and just make sure that they're feeling good, that they've gone potty beforehand, because we don't want that during the ceremony. I guess when dogs get nervous or excited, it comes out. Yes. So um, take them for a walk, all of that good stuff before anything really is even happening. Um, and then we'll get them dressed. Um, so a lot of times dogs will have like their own outfit for the day, and we start um, you know, taking videos behind the scenes and pictures because we do the content creation of the dogs too. So you kind of have like a POV of their day. That is adorable. I love it. It's so fun. And yeah, then typically we may be doing like a first look with the dog, um, if that's something the couples want to do, or pre-ceremony, like family pictures. Um, and then most people will want their dog in the ceremony in some way. So we'll help with the ceremony, whether we're walking them down or we're coaching like a friend or family member on how to walk them down properly so that your pictures still look nice. Um, and we'll sit with them for the ceremony or you know, take them for another walk, whatever makes sense for them. Um, help with photos after. And yeah, and then usually we'll kind of walk around and let them say hi to all their favorite people. Um, and then be on our way. So we'll take them home or back to us and do dinner and walks and send the end of the night pup date, and that's about it.
SPEAKER_00:I can imagine how tired they probably are after that very exciting eventful day out of their normal routine.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, they usually we try to keep our time on site um around like four and a half hours total, including the time beforehand, because all dogs, no matter how wild or crazy they are, get pretty exhausted by the end. Um and so they're usually pretty tired. And so take them home, make sure that they are getting good night's sleep. Yeah. Yeah. Um, what roles do they usually play in weddings? Um, it can be anything from I've seen like ring bearer, which is probably my favorite. Um, honorary flower girl, which is always really cute. Um and yeah, I usually will just call them the dog of honor for the day. So sometimes they're just there as a member of the family. Um, sometimes they're, you know, honorary bridal party member, but they're always in pictures. Yeah, that's important.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, it is. Um, do you you work with a full team? Uh have you ever gone out to events on your own? What does what does that look like?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so I'll do events on my own if it's one dog. Um I will sometimes do those on my own. We do have a team of four attendants currently. Um, we're actually looking to bring on another person on the team too. Um, but we have three lead attendants, and the three lead attendants are all professional dog trainers. And then we have one assistant attendant who is not a dog trainer but certified in handling and CPR first aid, all that good stuff.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. Um, how do you ensure that the dog is comfortable and stress-free during the wedding? It's gonna depend on the dog.
SPEAKER_01:Um, so they're all very different, and definitely getting a feel for them beforehand is important, like their personality and what's gonna help them settle. So some dogs will get really riled up by traits, some dogs will become more focused and calm with food. So the meet and greet's really important for that, and then all of the pre-planning. Um, but we always allocate time and space to take breaks. Um, so rather than, and this is why I think it's so important. I'm biased, but why I think it's so important to have an attendant because if it's a family member, they want to be like right in the middle of everything versus us. We can step away from the ceremony if we have to. Um, we care about your vows, but not as much as your family members do. So we can step away. Um, we can, you know, take them to a quieter area and make sure that, you know, they can have water breaks, potty breaks, and even just some cuddles if they need time to settle down.
SPEAKER_00:I have worked weddings with pets without you and with pets with you. And it makes the world of a difference. Because when the family member, like you're saying, when a family member is in charge of the pet, um, they also want to be involved and they want to be in the area, and sometimes those kind of drag dog along with their agenda when your focus is making sure that yes, um, the dog is present, however, it is also meeting their needs. So if they do need to step away, you make sure that they're able to step away and really keep the space uh healthy and calm and still salivatory.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, because that's our first priority is making sure that your dog is a safe. So we're really big on safety. Um, like we do like the GPS trackers that monitor like their respiratory and heart rate the whole time. Um, and we're all certified in pets, CPR, and first aid, but that they're having a good experience too, because they're a member of the family. Like their day too, we want them to have a good time. Just like if you were bringing a kid to a wedding, you I would think would want them to have a good time too. Um, so yeah, we we try to make it a positive experience for the dogs. And I always tell people you don't really want drunk Aunt Linda, you know, caring for your dog because that's not gonna be a good time for the dog. Sometimes it's not safe, even um, people when they're partying don't always make the best decisions. Yeah, you don't really want your, I wouldn't want my dog in care like that.
SPEAKER_00:Nope, I agree. How do you um how is your relationship with venues? Do you feel like um venues are becoming more open to having pets on site um with your service because it helps have a more controlled environment? Have you found some couples are really wanting their pet to come in, but the venue says nope under no circumstances? Um, how have you seen that trending and navigate your relationship and service with the venues?
SPEAKER_01:Yes. So venues have been great. A lot of venues are really dog friendly now, which is awesome. Um, we've had a few venues start to require us if there's gonna be a dog on site, which is great. Um, they know that the dogs are gonna be cared for and under professional care. Um, we've heard some horror stories of dogs just, you know, running into roads or wandering around the venue and nobody knows who they belong to. Where'd this stray dog come from? Right. Whose dog is this? Um, so venues have been really great. We have had a couple that aren't necessarily dog friendly, but when they heard we were gonna be on site, we're able to make an exception because they know there's not gonna be pill on the floor and all of that that a venue would normally be concerned with having an animal. Um, but it goes two ways too. We try to be really considerate of the venue rules. And so we take care to touch base with the venues. If we haven't worked with them before, just to say, hey, what are your rules with the dogs? Are they allowed in the room? Are they not? Are they, you know, allowed in the indoor space? Do they have to be out of there by dinner? Um, just to make sure that the venue rules are getting respected and everybody's on the same page.
SPEAKER_00:Well, that's why our venue absolutely loves you. We love you. Um how early should a couple book a pet attendant?
SPEAKER_01:Um, we're currently booking out about like a year and a half in advance right now. So I'd say when you start looking at booking all of your other vendors and you know you want your dog there, definitely start looking for a pet attendant. Um, if you're in Arizona right now, we are the only pet attendant company in Arizona. Um, and so we're starting to have with a team of four some dates no longer available across the board. So yeah, as soon as you know you want your baby there, let us know. Do you service all of Arizona? We do, yeah. So we've gone all the way from Tucson all the way up to Sedona and Flagstaff, which is always fun.
SPEAKER_00:So the weather's so much nicer there right now. Can't wait for like actual fall to come and not 105-degree fall. We're almost there, we're so close. Um, talk to me about breeds. Are there breeds that are harder to work with, easier to work with? Do you have breeds you prefer? This probably sounds like uh a silly question because dogs are amazing, but give me some insight.
SPEAKER_01:I don't have necessarily breeds I prefer to work with for a wedding. Um, because even amongst like a breed, temperament is so different. And I fall in love with every single dog I work with because I'm spending the whole day with them. So they are my best friend at the end. Um, my favorite breed personally is Huskies. So if you have worked with me, you know that I just love them. Um and I love little dogs in weddings because they're just easy to pick up for pictures. Um they're easier to maneuver, a little easier to maneuver for specifically the bride because they're in the dress. So it's just a little easier for the bride to, you know, pick up her dog and give him a kiss and get that cute picture. But personally, my heart is with the bigger dogs. Um, so we'll work with them all and have a good time.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. Um, do you have any heartwarming or uh funny stories from any previous weddings with the pups?
SPEAKER_01:Yes. I my mind goes to I trained this dog. So this was a training client of mine, turned wedding client, and her family is very dear to us. I trained her mom's two dogs many moons ago, like five or six years ago. And so she became an adult, got a dog, got married. I had trained her dog, and I got to be there as the attendant for this dog on her wedding day after knowing her family for so long. And we were able to let her off leash and like run down the aisle with the rings and just because that family is such a special place in my heart. And then I was like, Yeah, go peaches. Your training is ridiculous. It really worked, yeah, yeah. So that was that was just really special to be able to see. But every wedding where I have a senior dog makes me tear up. Um, we've had a couple senior dogs last year that have since passed, um, which like tears me up when I hear that. But it's so sweet to know that they were able to be there and to be in pictures. And like my old boy passed earlier this year, and having those wedding pictures with him is like it's everything. Like it's just so sweet.
SPEAKER_00:Was he the one that ate the cupcakes? He was. And and looking back on it, hilarious, but it's okay.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's okay. We forgive you.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Um, is there anything that you wish couples knew um prior to wedding, any information you want to share that um would be useful for couples who are planning on having their dog part of their wedding day?
SPEAKER_01:Yes. Something I hear all the time is, oh, my dog is too crazy, or my dog is not trained, they can't come. I think that's like the biggest thing I hear when I'm doing an open house. They don't have to be. They're just as part as much part of the family as anyone else. Um, and that's exactly what we're there for. So, you know, as nice as it is, if your dog can walk on a nice loose leash, great, but they also don't have to. Um, because we're not putting them in the hands of drunk Ait Linda and her high heels and the dress and the flowers and all of that. So your dog does not have to be trained to be in the wedding. Um, they can come as they are, and we'll make a plan that's tailored to them and their personality and make sure that everyone's happy. Awesome.
SPEAKER_00:Um, and if I recall, you have worked in the wedding industry.
SPEAKER_01:I have, yes. I used to be an assistant wedding coordinator back in college. Okay. Um, when I lived up in Flagstaff. So I have that coordination side as well. So pretty savvy at, you know, timelines and kind of understanding the flow of the day, which I think has lended itself well to this. Um, but yeah, it's kind of like my two worlds just blended together very beautifully.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, I love that. I think that um you found a need in the industry and your skill set and you are very, very talented at what you do. Thank you. Um, I will shout it from the top of a mountain that you are the one and the go-to when it comes to um pet handling and assisting and just providing excellent care on wedding day. So I love that you're able to bring those two together. Um, if you are looking for a pet attendant, um, somebody to love on and bring the pet of honor, or what did you call it, or dog of honor. The dog of honor on your wedding day, um, make sure to check out Alex and her team. You will find them at um caninecelebrations.com or on Instagram at canine underscore celebrations. Um, be sure to like, subscribe, and follow for further episodes, and we will see you next week. Bye. Bye.