A dog -loving couple were determined to have their five pups at their wedding - so they hired a specialist trainer to make it happen.
Alexandria May, 32, met her husband Jimmy, 36, at a park almost six years ago, when they were both out dog walking.
The pair from Houston, Texas, made the decision to hire a dog training service six months before their special day, to make sure it all ran smoothly.
Alexandria said: "It was important to us to include them in the day, since they were a big part of what brought us together."
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The dog trainer came to their house three times a week to "work the dogs on walking better, not being super distracted by all the people and general good behaviour".
On the big day, three handlers walked the dogs around the property and burned off their energy while the bridal party got ready.
Alexandria said: "It was a big price tag but we just looked at it as part of our wedding budget, they are our family and worth the expense."
Despite the added cost of outfits, training service and handlers, the couple couldn’t have imagined the day without them - and neither could their families.
Alexandria said: "Everyone close to us knew we always wanted them in our wedding, so they just looked forward to how we would incorporate them in our day."
Reflecting on how they first met, Alexandria explained: "My sister had actually ran into my husband first and at the time my dog Teddy would always bark at men, but he didn’t seem to mind Jimmy."
Her sister played cupid and encouraged the two to meet up and exchange numbers.
At the time, Alexandria had nine-year-old Corgi mix Teddy and Jimmy had 11-year-old terrier Nola and pit bull Lily, but sadly she passed away.
Since then, the couple added to their fur family.
Alexandria said: "We were given Ruby, a cocker spaniel now aged two and we rescued Ranger, a Dutch shepherd mix, now aged three, off the streets.
"Mr. Bingley is a six-year-old pit bull chihuahua mix and he is actually my sister’s dog, but he’s such a big part of our lives too, so we wanted him there just like we included all our human nieces and nephews."
They gave Teddy, Nola, Mr Bingley, Ranger and Ruby a starring role on their special day, with each dog matching bridesmaids and groomsmen with custom-made outfits.
Alexandria explained: "Our girl Nola wasn’t a huge fan of wearing her dress at first but Ruby loved it. As soon as we put the outfit on her, she was ready for her photo shoot."
The girls dresses were £25 and £27, and the boys had tuxes made which ranged from £39 to £134.
For anyone engaged who is considering having their pets at the wedding, Alexandria shares her top tips.
She said: "Have a plan for someone to watch the dogs that isn’t a part of the wedding party because you’ll want them to enjoy the day and be a part of all the fun stuff.
"The best decision we made was having a service help us take care of the dogs who are trained to take care of dogs so we never had to worry.
"Also remember to enjoy the day with your pups and accept that something may go wrong but that’s okay.
"They are our family and we couldn’t imagine getting married without them there with us."
Do you have a dog story to tell? Contact nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
