Millennials are Inviting Their Pets to Their Weddings

• The latest cute thing: inviting your dog, cat, or even rabbit to your wedding.
• “Our border collie is going to be the ringbearer,” Cathy, a bride from Mariages.net, says.
• For some future married couples, having furry family members at the wedding is crucial.

January 15th, 2018 – A Siamese in a suit, a bulldog proudly carrying a “Just Married” sign… the new Millennial trend is to give their pets a place of pride by having them take part in celebrating the most beautiful day of their lives. Mariages.net, a leading wedding platform in France and around the world, takes a look at this craze and tells us about the precautions you should take in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Over the past few years, the place of animals in the lives of French people has drastically changed, and the majority of them now consider their pets to be full-fledged members of the family. This privileged position has considerably altered behaviors and customs, up to and including in the wedding industry, where our animal friends are now being celebrated, as Mariages.net was able to observe via its community of future married couples. This trend is especially noticeable among Millennials. Born between 1980 and 2000, this generation is constantly overthrowing social codes, including preferring to have pets over children. These days, the number of Millennials who choose to celebrate the most beautiful day of their lives in the company of their pets is steadily increasing.

While some pets are often simply there as witnesses, dressed for the occasion in their gala wear, some actively take part in the ceremony, whether as ring-bearers or as part of the wedding procession. Manon, a member of the bride community on Mariages.net, says: “My darling and I couldn’t picture our wedding without our beloved Lucky. He’ll even be wearing a suit so he can look like his ‘dad.’” Couples who are unable to celebrate their wedding in the company of their loyal pets will still make little nods in their direction by, say, adding their pictures to the table centerpieces or by having miniature versions of them made and placed atop their wedding cakes.

Nina Perez, CEO of Mariages.net: “These days, married couples want to customize their big day and in order to do so, a good number of them choose to add a very personal touch to their wedding by inviting their pet along. This new trend has caused new services to emerge in the wedding industry, such as pet sitters and stores that are devoted to canine fashion.”

To make sure that all goes according to plan on the Big Day, several factors need to be taken into account. First of all, the type of animal and their personality. If it’s a dog or cat who is obedient and well-trained, there shouldn’t be any problems. Things get more complicated when the pet is fearful or is a reptile. Secondly, the ceremony and reception locations have to be pet-friendly and be able to host the animal in a secure setting. It is also crucial to inform the guests of their presence, in order to prevent any allergy-related complications or those that might arise in children. Finally, it is important to inform the photographer and introduce them to the pet prior to the wedding, so that the animal feels like they can trust them and is able to pose during photo sessions. To ensure the animal receives all the attention they need on the day of, it is preferable to ask a trustworthy person or pet sitter to take care of them. Marioleczka and Charlotte both provide examples of this new trend: “He’ll be there, like he always has been. We are going to throw the party in a well-enclosed community room. We will bring his basket. He’s our baby, too. And he’s a part of the family.”; “I would like for my Nours to be there, too, on my wedding day. My dog is my big baby and I want to take some nice pictures with him.”

With almost 63 million pets and 12 million homes in France* that have a dog or a cat, i.e. one in two, perhaps the importance of these four-legged friends in the hearts of French people explains their presence on the most beautiful day of their lives. It is crucial to have a key witness on this unforgettable day, especially one who is the pride and joy of its owners, as Landes, who has an account on Mariages.net, points out: “Our little girl was with us, and that continues to be a wonderful memory.” This trend is in full-bloom, and it will continue to mark the weddings of 2018.

*Ipsos Survey, 2017

About Mariages.net
Mariages.net, a leading wedding platform in France and on a global scale, was born to help future married couples plan the wedding that they envision in a fun and practical way. Thanks to its international presence, the platform, which is part of the WeddingWire group, has a directory of more than 400,000 field professionals today. It also has a community of more than 2,000,000 future married couples. Mariages.net offers a directory of qualified professionals and makes thousands of ideas and pieces of advice available to future married couples, as well as a panel of tools for organizing their wedding: count-down scheduling, guest lists, budget management, wedding locations, wedding lists, wedding catalogs… In 2016, Mariages.net was voted best website of the year and most popular website in the Community category. The WeddingWire group has operations in North America, South America, Europe, and Asian, and is present in 15 countries (the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Brazil, etc.) through the following websites: WeddingWire.com, Bodas.net, Matrimonio.com, Mariages.net, Casamentos.pt, Bodas.com.mx, Casamentos.com.br, Matrimonio.com.co, Matrimonios.cl, Casamientos.com.ar, Matrimonio.com.pe, Weddingspot.co.uk, Casamiento.com.uy, Weddingwire.ca, and Weddings.co.in.