The pooches playing a starring role

“We decided pretty much straight away that he was going to be our ring bearer,” Brad says. “He had to be involved in some way.”

He is talking about Newton, Ellie and Brad’s pet dog. When the couple recently got married, having the sheepadoodle at the ceremony was never debated.

In fact, he had several roles on their special day – meeting and greeting all of the guests and being present in all of the family portraits.

“He brought so much joy being there. It felt so nice to go over to him and give him a cuddle,” Brad told the BBC’s Morning Live.

“He was just amazing,” Ellie added.

They aren’t the only couple who have chosen to include their pooch in their big day, with dogs increasingly seen as a member of the family.

Nearly nine in 10 people described their dog as their best friend in a recent survey by charity Dog’s Trust, while 89% said that their dog provides emotional support.

Emma and Ade Cartlich are the owners of dog chaperone service Precious Pets Weddings. The firms helps couples plan beforehand how dogs will be incorporated into their wedding and then looks after the pets on the day.

Situated in Staffordshire, the couple say they have now expanded their services to Wales and London due to demand.

Emma says they first do a consultation call with couples to find out all about their dog, before an in-person meeting to understand the dog’s temperament.

“You have to find out all the temperaments, the couple’s ideas, how well this would match and then put your plan together.”

Then when the big day arrives, the couple get the dog over to the venue, walk him or her, and practise the role assigned to them.

“We then spruce the doggy up with a mini groom, doggy perfume, tuxedo, flower colours. And then normally most dogs will be at the meet and greet as the guests are arriving.”

Jane and Darryl Marsh run a similar chaperone service called Paws2Party, in Solihull. They say the demand for bookings means they are now considering franchising the business so they can expand.

They have worked on ceremonies where dogs have been used as “flower girls” and bridesmaids, as well as ring bearers.

“Every wedding is different, we’re guided by the dog and their behaviour,” says Jane. “The dog usually steals the show, everybody ends up taking pictures of the dog and not the bride and groom.”

Bethan and Charlie, who recently married, had their own dog Fergus at the wedding, but also allowed family members to bring their dogs too.

“Having Fergus at the wedding was the only thing we were absolutely certain about from the get-go,” Bethan says.

On the day Fergus did a “first look” with Bethan, being the first person, or in this case pet, to see the bride in her dress.

“By the time I arrived at the church, he was waiting for me. It was really nice to pull up and see him there.”

Fergus wasn’t just a guest, he also had a special role as ring bearer.

“It was lovely being able to have Fergus as part of the day, but having him as part of the actual wedding ceremony was really special.”

Bethan says she has seen dogs at weddings featured on social media, with thousands sharing photos.

“I’m absolutely obsessed with Fergus, and so is Charlie, so I don’t think anybody would have expected him not to feature on our wedding day.

“Anybody who has a dog knows they are literally like having a child.”

For some, like Angharad, having a dog at a wedding is a necessity. Her guide dog Tudor was there to walk her down the aisle.

Angharad was matched with Tudor in 2018 by sight loss charity Guide dogs, and he has been a fundamental part of her life ever since.

“There were four guests with guide dogs at our wedding. Tudor got really excited because his favourite people were in the room.”

Angharad says if you want to involve your dog in your wedding, then researching venues thoroughly is essential.

“Finding a venue that was at the scale we wanted it to be at and was wheelchair friendly, accessible for stairs and dogs was actually very difficult.”

• Make sure that the wedding venue is dog friendly
• Check your photographer is okay with dogs if you want to feature them in photos
• Consider your dog’s temperament. There are different roles a dog can play but it is important to understand how they may behave to prevent any issues
• Selecting the right outfit for a dog is key. Harnesses can work well as they prevent the dog from jumping up at guests
• Do some research on the type of flowers you would like, as some can be poisonous to dogs
• Let your guests know in advance that dogs will be present. Some people may be allergic to or scared of dogs

Tips provided by the chaperone services the BBC spoke to