The ring bearer at the upcoming wedding of Brooke Badinger and Miles Mattern meets the traditional criteria: 4- to 8-year-old boy with a special connection to the bride and groom.



Well, mostly: Bowser is 3 1/2. But the couple feels their black Labrador best suits the role for the honorary position at their Aug. 20 wedding at Illahe Hills Country Club in Salem.



Badinger and Mattern had been dating about two years when they adopted Bowser three years ago as a puppy.



"We have raised him together," Badinger says. "We think of him as our kid. It's just important that he's there in some way."



Badinger and Mattern are among an increasing number of couples who want to incorporate their pets into their special day.



Portland wedding planner Nora Sheils, owner of Bridal Bliss, says she's planning 10 weddings that include pets this year, out of a total of 60 weddings. In the past, she'd only see about one or two a year.



"A lot of couples are getting married a little bit older," she says, "and since they're getting married older, they may have pets that they've gotten beforehand. Or they've been together a long time and have a pet together, so the pet is like their kid."



Pets often play an important role in a couple's life together, says Kristin Koch, senior editor of wedding website TheKnot.com.



"Maybe as a couple you got a dog together or a cat together and tested the waters with that," she says.



"It's one of your first milestones in your relationship that's taken you to this point, so of course you want it to be part of the wedding."



Jessica Mason and Heidi Wong didn't think twice about including their border collie-golden retriever mix, Valen, in their recent domestic partnership ceremony.



Wong, a third-year law student at Lewis & Clark College, has owned 8 1/2-year-old Valen since she was a puppy.



"One of the first big tests of our relationship was whether her dog liked me," Mason jokes.



She passed -- the two have been together just over three years. When it came time to choose a ring bearer, both thought instantly of Valen.



"She's family," Wong says, "so we decided we wanted her to be part of our wedding. We just couldn't imagine having a day all about sharing our love with the people that we love, without someone who's always there for us."



The couple asked their florist to create a canine corsage that pins onto a harness, with stunt rings tied to the corsage ribbons. Wong's aunt and uncle will walk a leashed Valen down the aisle to ensure she behaves.



Enlisting a "handler" is one of the most important things you can do if you choose to include your pet in your wedding, says their planner, Christina Safford of Muse Wedding and Event Planning.



Another reason pets are so popular on the big day? More couples are personalizing their wedding by choosing vineyards or other properties, rather than a conventional church or hotel, says Denise Hall, event and trade show manager for Bravo! Publications. That makes it easier to include pets.



At Urban Studio, a popular wedding venue, "We're fine with it as long as they take a spin around the block and let (their pet) do their business before they come in," says Via Hersholt, director of event management and sales at Urban Studio and Pearl Catering.





Before you say "I do" to including your pet in your wedding

Make sure venues for both the wedding ceremony and reception allow pets.

Make sure your pet is comfortable with large groups of people.

If your animal is playing a role in the ceremony, train and practice -- don't just hope for the best on the day of the ceremony.

Hire a dog walker or pet professional (not a family member who wants to enjoy your special day) who can monitor your pet.

If you're taking photos with Fido, bring a friend along to the session. Having someone there to play with the dog can help calm him down and make for better photos.

More tips:

Pets are also appearing more often in engagement photos, Hall says.

"I definitely encourage couples to include pets in their engagement session whenever possible, because I think it really personalizes the session," says photographer Paul Rich of Paul Rich Studio. "When done correctly, it puts the couple at ease."

About 10 percent of his clients have requested dogs to be part of their engagement photo sessions out of the 25 to 35 engagement photo sessions he does annually.

Rich's clients include Max McGuire and fiancée Emily Singsaneh, who have owned their French bulldog, Gummo, for about six months. The dog has become such an integral part of their lives that he'll serve as ring bearer at their Aug. 27 wedding at Cornelius Pass Roadhouse and Imbrie Hall.

"We don't have kids so he's kind of like our son right now," McGuire says. "He cracks us up all the time. We just thought it would be a neat little thing to include him."

They'll play "Who Let the Dogs Out" during the ceremony as a tuxedo-clad Gummo makes his entrance. McGuire's nephew will walk him down the aisle.

There's always the possibility for mishaps. A "ring dog" at one wedding arranged by Sheils got spooked by a camera flash during the ceremony. The Schnauzer lunged at the picture-taking guest and bit his ear, requiring Sheils to temporarily stop the bride's entrance and usher the guest to an ambulance crew. The freshly bandaged guest returned to his seat, and the wedding resumed.

If that makes you nervous, your pet can also be at your special day in spirit. Incorporate paw prints on your "save the date" cards. Or if you have a pet bird, for instance, try an avian motif -- maybe birds or bird cages on the invitations, Koch suggests.

If you do think Fido or Fluffy would make good wedding guests, be creative and have fun with it.

"It's a great way to personalize your wedding and make it about you and your life together," Sheils says. "As long as your pet's well-behaved, I think it's a really fun thing to do."

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