Sacred Lands Wedding With Willow - St Pete, Florida
Willow the rescue made her mom & dad’s wedding day absolutely perfect!
This adorable pit mix entered our annual #AdoptDontShop Rescue contest for her humans’ wedding at Sacred Lands!
Willow’s story is quite a special one. She even had her own “First Look” with mom & dad before the ceremony!
She walked down the aisle like a pro in her fresh flower collar, and posed for photos after with the whole family!
We asked Willow’s humans to share a little bit about why they chose to include her in their special day.
Why did you include your dog in your wedding?
Our furbabies are a part of our family, it wouldn’t feel right if they couldn’t be a part of the celebration!
What is the story of how your dog became a part of the family?
I wanted a dog for as long as I could remember but my parents knew the responsibility that comes along with owning a dog so they wouldn’t allow it. Then one day, we were at The Florida Aquarium with our family and my father gave us a bag with dog treats in it - he finally gave us his blessing and support to get a dog! (My parents are our landlords). We saw Willow’s ad on Craigslist and almost didn’t go meet her since it said she was part Pitbull, boy are we glad we did! We met her at a gas station, she was covered in feces and flees and so scared. My [now] husband said even if we don’t keep her, we are not leaving this dog in this situation. She is truly one of the best things that have ever happened to us! Pits get a bad rep but she truly is one of the sweetest dogs we have ever met and we have learned not to judge a dog by its breed.
Did you incorporate your dog into any other details on your wedding day?
Yes, we had a treat table for our guest’s fur babies who couldn’t make it to the “paw-ty” from our cat and dog. We also had a cut out of our cat’s face as a prop in our photobooth.
All dogs are the best dogs, but tell us something that makes your dog special?
She is the sweetest dog we have ever met! She loves to cuddle and she follows me everywhere. She always makes sure to bring whoever walks into our house gifts (whatever is near her that can fit in her mouth- usually it’s a toy, article of clothing from doing laundry, a remote control, etc.).
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about your dog?
She has the best smelling Frito paws!
Thanks so much for sharing your sweet girl’s story with us, Ivana & Mike! & Trust us, you don’t want to miss Willow’s adorable video below:
10% Of This Wedding Was Donated To // New Life Dog Rescue
Planner // Blue Skies Weddings & Events
Photographer // Concept Photography
Venue // Sacred Lands
Isla Del Sol Wedding with Sparrow - St Petersburg, FL
Sparrow, the cuddly puppy, was a big part of his parent’s wedding day!
With bright eyes and a wiggly body, our friend Sparrow almost couldn’t contain his excitement for his parent’s big day!
We met him at the Sirata Beach Resort, where he was waiting to begin our adventure. After walking around the property and saying hello to some family members, Sparrow went to see his mom while she was getting ready. It was hard for him to not steal all the attention from the ladies, and easy for him to help ease all their anxieties.
After many kisses and lots of snuggles, Sparrow decided he should grace the groom with his presence as well. When we arrived, Sparrow was happy to hang with the guys and gushed with excitement when he saw his dad. Before we knew it, the time had come to load up and head over to Isla Del Sol.
Sparrow was able to witness the joy on Matt’s face when He saw Carly for the first time, and he even got to join in on the memory by posing in his tuxedo for pictures with them.
Sparrow did such a wonderful job down the aisle during the ceremony and was also able to be a part of the introductions following. He was so sweet and had a smile on his face throughout the entire day.
His family and friends loved spending time with him and Matt and Carly couldn’t have imagined their special day without their baby!
Here is what the Bride said about including Sparrow in the wedding day!
Why did you include your dog in your wedding?
We wanted to include Sparrow in our wedding because he really is apart of our family.
Besides moving in together, getting Sparrow was a major step that Matt and I took together. He completed our little family from the moment we got him. It wouldn’t have been our wedding without him there!
What is the story of how your dog became a part of the family?
It all started with our typical weekend to the local diner for breakfast. It was a Saturday morning and we were sitting at the breakfast just chatting. Matt brought up the idea of getting a dog many times, but this time he brought it up again with a hard push! We researched breeders at the diner and ended up calling her once we got in the car. There was no turning back after that call!
It seems like it was fate because there was actually a very long waiting list for Sparrow. I was bummed out because I was so excited about getting a dog! Turns out, someone dropped out of the waiting list and we were next! We ended up getting our precious little puppy a couple months later instead of a year later!
Did you incorporate your dog into any other details on your wedding day?
It was important to us to include sparrow as much as possible. The most important being pictures.
It’s funny because most of the photos we printed in our house have sparrow in them from our wedding day!
Sparrow also walked down the aisle, celebrated at the reception with us (he made his grand entrance with us!), and then went back to the hotel where we continued the after party!
All dogs are the best dogs, but tell us something that makes your dog special?
It’s hard to choose one specific thing that makes Sparrow special. He isn’t just any ordinary dog. He’s our dog.
He really has changed our lives.
Sparrow is special because he can always sense when something is wrong. Whether that is a kiss, a lick, or a cuddle- he is always there for us! He also is very vocal and loves making funny noises when we come home. He has a heart of gold and really just wants to be everyone’s best friend. He definitely is a people pleaser. Believe us, it’s unlike any other noise you’ve ever heard!
Also, he loves to watch TV with us! His eyes are glued to the screen! He usually gets mistaken for a teddy bear, but he’s not, he’s our baby Sparrow!
10% of this FairyTail Wedding was donated to // PAWS For Reading
Photographer // Monika Gauthier Photography
Planner // Kimberly Hensley Events
Venue // Isla Del Sol
Museum of Fine Arts Wedding with Callie - St Petersburg, FL
Find our more about how we helped include Callie in her parent’s wedding day!
Callie is so loved by her parent's so when they decided to get married, they knew they wanted their pup by their side!
We picked Callie up from her downtown Tampa apartment & brought her to the Museum of Fine Arts St Pete for a few photos before the ceremony with her favorite people in the whole world.
She was so happy to see them & they were so happy to have the chance to celebrate with their baby on such a special day!
After some quality time with Mom & Dad, we brought Callie back home & stayed with her overnight so her parent's could enjoy their wedding night knowing she was happy & comfortable in her own home!
Photographer // Foto Bohemia
Check out Callie's FairyTail Wedding GoPro Video for more of the love!
When it comes to actually carrying the wedding rings, we have an important recommendation—let’s leave the real rings to the humans!