Doggy Social Helps Couples Include Their Pets in the Big Day

by | Feb 2025

Osseo’s Katie Nelson and Nathan Hoffman wanted to include Rosie, their golden retriever, in their wedding but wondered who would tend to her that day. Doggy Social offered the services they needed. Come the wedding day, Rosie posed for photos, nailed her ring-bearer role and attended the reception for a bit. Her appearance featured outfit changes, including a custom-designed floral collar for the wedding and a bow for the reception.

Osseo’s Katie Nelson and Nathan Hoffman wanted to include Rosie, their golden retriever, in their wedding but wondered who would tend to her that day. Doggy Social offered the services they needed. Come the wedding day, Rosie posed for photos, nailed her ring-bearer role and attended the reception for a bit. Her appearance featured outfit changes, including a custom-designed floral collar for the wedding and a bow for the reception. Photo: Carly Mac Photography

One isn’t surprised to see a best man at a wedding, but don’t forget about including a good boy! (or girl). Since 2018, Doggy Social helps wedding couples include some of their favorite family members—their dogs—in some or all of the events of the day.

Wedding days are full of love—and logistics. Adding in the unpredictability of a dog at the event might be a bit problematic, but that doesn’t seem to deter a lot of couples. “Dogs are family,” founder Lara Leinen says. “They’re our children, and they’re really special.

“I thought it would be really special to include my fur baby in my wedding, but I wasn’t going to put that responsibility on friends or family,” Leinen says. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a service to help facilitate her wish. That experience ignited her idea to open Doggy Social, so other couples could enjoy having their dogs play a role in their ceremony, photography sessions and receptions.

Pet attendants receive Doggy Social training. Understanding how to handle dogs is obviously important, but customer service also tops the list. “You have to love animals, and you have to love people,” Leinen says.

Pet attendants take care of getting the dogs right where they need to be, including going out for a potty stop or away for a quick kibble take five. While Doggy Social assists throughout the event, it also aids in getting the dogs to and from the venues and can provide boarding services, including overnight dog sitting in the clients’ homes.

Some dogs are more capable than others when it comes to taking on special ceremony roles. While some pets can walk down an aisle with ease as a ring bearer or flower pup and are focused and not easily distracted, others are just the opposite. No worries here. “We meet dogs where they’re at,” Leinen says.

And speaking of meeting, since it launched, Doggy Social has worked with more than 500 dogs, starting in Minnesota and serving Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

If you think you’ve heard it all, consider this: In special instances, dogs can serve as wedding witnesses. (They sign with inked paws.) “Your pet can be a witness in Colorado,” Leinen says. “While it’s not yet allowed in Minnesota, it’s coming.”

Sharing the Spotlight

A summer wedding on the grounds of the Minnetonka Yacht Club on Lighthouse Island with Lake Minnetonka in the background: What more could Bonnie Verant and Adam Schiffman want for their wedding day?

The couple had another must-have request: that their dogs River, a great Dane mix, and Korra, a husky, serve as flower dogs at their nuptials. But the couple had some concerns, including not having the dogs “jump on grandma or run amuck.” Doggy Social to the rescue.

After River and Korra’s walk down the aisle, two Doggy Social pet attendants walked them around the island while the ceremony continued and before the dogs resumed wedding duties, including posing for photos and attending the cocktail hour—all while wearing pet-friendly floral collars.

The day, while beautiful, had some less desirable guests: 90 degree heat and 100 percent humidity. That combination can be dangerous for pets, but the Doggy Social team paid special attention. “They did such a good job making sure [the dogs] were hydrated,” Verant says.

Once it was time for River and Korra to make their exit, the pet attendants joined them on a pontoon ride “back to land” and returned them to the couple’s Airbnb in Deephaven, where the dogs were walked, fed and settled for the night. “It was so nice knowing our dogs were taken care of and safe, and we could go along with the evening,” Verant says.

Doggy Social donates a portion of its proceeds to rescue organizations and volunteers in support of animal nonprofits.

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Facebook: Doggy Social Wedding
Instagram: @doggysocialwedding

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