Picking out flowers for your wedding can be complicated. There are so many decisions to make! Roses or carnations? Traditional or bohemian? White to go with the dress, or do you want a pop of colour? Not to mention, florals are so expensive. Bride Samantha Clark, 23, from Iowa, sidestepped all this stress when she decided to go with puppies for her bouquet instead.
That’s right – puppies! While a dog-themed wedding might sound cute and quirky (and potentially messy), it was actually all for a very important cause. Clark is an animal lover, and wanted to find a way to raise awareness and support for AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport, a local pet shelter who had recently taken in lots of displaced dogs and cats from Hurricane Harvey.
So she “borrowed” six puppies from her local shelter for her bridesmaids to carry down the aisle. The puppies – adorably named ‘Chiweenies’ (Chihuahua and Dachshund crosses) were the perfect accessory to the beautiful burgundy dresses. Photos of the bridesmaids and their bouquet puppies have gone viral. The famous puppies will be available for adoption through the shelter soon.
Clark was inspired by similar stories of bridesmaids carrying puppies, like bride Sarah and her bridal party in Pennsylvania last year, who carried puppies down the aisle to raise awareness for the pitbull rescue association Pitties Love Peace.
Clark says her new husband Kendel wasn’t sure about the idea initially, but as the couple have three dogs of their own and are diehard dog lovers, it wasn’t hard to convince him. Luckily we know dog lovers make the best wives! She also put out a binder at the reception where guests could browse photos of adoptable dogs available at the shelter. One of the wedding photographers has already agreed to adopt one of the adorable pups! We can that success.
What about you? Have you ever thought about including your dog in your wedding?
Photos courtesy of: Pitties Love Peace, Caroline Logan Photography Photography, Photography by White Fashion
Article written by Alison Donnellan
