Doggy wedding chaperones: Helping furry family members move owners past puppy love

Each wedding, couple and dog are different, so a dog’s role on the day may vary. Typical duties might include bringing the rings down the aisle, taking part in a photo shoot with their owners, and greeting guests after the ceremony

Sarah O'Flaherty and her husband Barry and dogs Penelope and Delilah

Dogs running down the aisle to their owners, styling it out in the photo shoot afterwards, doing a meet-and-greet with wedding guests. Scenes like these are being played out across the country as couples are increasingly including their furry friends in their big day.

But who’s minding the dogs, making sure they don’t upstage the bride and groom or cause chaos during the ceremony? That’s down to the growing number of dog wedding chaperones in Ireland, a job that likely didn’t even exist three years ago.