Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Daniel and I both love dogs, and after seeing some totally awesome "wedding dog" gear, I was totally into having my dog be our wedding dog.

I mean really, aren't these adorable?

Wedding Dog Bandana




All right, so Yeller would never actually abide being dressed up like that--particularly because he's a boy--but I still think it's cute.

Anyway, aside from the cuteness, Yeller has been an immensely important part of my life.  We got him when I was seven and volunteering at an animal shelter.  Up until that point, I had always thought of myself as a cat person (I've had six cats in my life and had three at the time), but Yeller completely changed my mind.  He was always there for me when I was sad, was always sweet and caring and sensitive to others' needs before his own.  I know everyone thinks their dog is the best dog in the world, but he really was special.  He is the best person I have ever known.

I'd love to have all of my animals at my wedding, but I would just feel weird not having Yeller there.  He means much more to me than many of the relatives and even friends that will be attending, and I can't imagine going through such a big step in my life without him.  So I've been on the look out for ways to incorporate him into the wedding.

I'd tell you about the ideas I've had except it doesn't matter now.  He died on Sunday.

Once I had stopped crying for a bit and become coherent enough to think, I started thinking about the fact that he won't be there for my wedding.  That got me thinking about all of the other people/pets who have passed or just won't be able to come.  Between the two of us, Daniel and I have three grandparents, three dogs, five cats, and who knows how many guests who will be absent.  I would like to be able to honor them and make their presence known somehow.

So I'm thinking about doing a small table with pictures of people (used loosely) who we wish could be there, so it will seem a little more like they're there in spirit.  I think this would mean a lot to our families, and it might make us feel a little better about the souls we wish could come.

Other than that, we'll just have to hope they're there in spirit.

5 comments:

  1. Oh Nicole. I'm so sorry for your loss. You must be heartbroken. I think the way you are thinking of memorializing him and others at your wedding sounds lovely. Take care.

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  2. I think the table with the pictures of your "people" who are there in spirit is a fantastic idea. I know what you are going through right now with Yeller. When my golden retriever who I got for my 16th birthday died a couple years ago it took me a really long time to get over it. And now the Mister and I have two dogs of our own and it kills me that I can't have them there with us during our wedding.

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  3. i'm very sorry for your loss, and think that's a wonderful idea to include him in the way you can.

    best wishes <3

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  4. I'm so sorry my dear. Losing my golden retriever who we moved across country with us was super hard.

    That being said, I honestly think it would be a bit insensitive towards the real people (are some of them passed away, even?) who will not be at the wedding if they're put in the same display as your animals. I mean, I know you'd just be trying to honor all who are important to you, but if I was put on display to be honored right next to a picture of a cat, I think it would rub me the wrong way.

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  5. @Laura: The table would probably only consist of the deceased, so I doubt they're going to get pissed off.

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