Dog Included At Wedding in Charleston

How to Include Your Pets on Your Wedding Day: Heartfelt Ideas for Animal-Loving Couples

by Kylie Sammond, Wedding PlannerHow ToPosted on Comments are Disabled

For many couples, pets are cherished family members who have shared in life’s most meaningful moments. It’s only natural to want to include them on your wedding day, making your celebration even more personal and memorable. Sammond Events understands the special bond you share with your furry (or feathered!) friends, and we love helping couples in the Upstate, Midlands, and Low Country create weddings that honor every member of the family—paws and all. In this guide, we’ll share creative, practical, and heartwarming ways to include pets in your wedding, ensuring a seamless and joyful experience for everyone.

Dogs at a wedding with bride and groom in Columbia South Carolina


Deciding If Your Pet Should Attend the Wedding


Before you start shopping for bow ties and floral collars, it’s important to consider whether your pet would enjoy being part of your big day. Think about your pet’s temperament, age, and comfort level in new environments. Some pets thrive in social settings, while others may become anxious or overwhelmed by crowds and noise. Consider the venue’s pet policy, the logistics of transportation, and whether you have a trusted handler available. If your pet is shy or easily stressed, there are still plenty of ways to honor them without having them physically present.


Roles Your Pet Can Play in the Ceremony


If your pet is comfortable in crowds, there are many adorable roles they can play during your ceremony. Dogs often make wonderful ring bearers or flower pups, trotting down the aisle with a sign or a basket. Cats, rabbits, or even birds can be carried by a handler or included in a special moment, such as a unity ceremony. Make sure to practice their role ahead of time and reward them with treats and affection. We love brainstorming creative roles that suit your pet’s personality and your wedding style.


Pet-Inspired Attire and Accessories


Dressing up your pet for the occasion is a delightful way to showcase their personality and include them in your wedding theme. From tuxedo bandanas and floral collars to custom harnesses and leashes, the options are endless. Always prioritize your pet’s comfort and safety—avoid anything restrictive or potentially hazardous. For a cohesive look, coordinate their attire with your wedding colors or floral arrangements. Don’t forget to capture these precious moments with your photographer!

Dog Included At Wedding in Charleston


Including Pets in Wedding Photos


Even if your pet isn’t attending the ceremony, you can still feature them in your wedding photos. Schedule a pre-wedding or post-wedding photo session at a pet-friendly location. This allows you to capture candid moments with your beloved animal without the pressure of the wedding day timeline. If your pet has passed away or can’t be there in person, consider bringing a framed photo or a special memento to include in your portraits—a touching tribute that keeps their spirit close.


Creative Ways to Honor Pets Who Can’t Attend


Not every pet can be at your wedding, but there are countless ways to celebrate their place in your life. Incorporate their likeness into your décor with custom cake toppers, signature cocktails named after them, or table numbers featuring their photos. You can also include pet-themed favors, such as personalized treats for your guests’ pets or donations to a local animal shelter in your pet’s honor. Sammond Events loves helping couples find meaningful, personalized touches that reflect their love for their animals.

Dog with his owners at their wedding


Pet-Friendly Wedding Logistics and Safety


If your pet is joining the festivities, their comfort and safety should be top priorities. Designate a trusted friend, family member, or professional pet handler to care for your pet throughout the day. Provide a quiet, comfortable space for them to rest away from the excitement. Bring essentials like water, food, toys, and waste bags. Communicate with your venue and vendors about your pet’s involvement to ensure everyone is prepared. With Sammond Events, we coordinate these details so you can enjoy every moment, knowing your four-legged friend is in good hands.


Making Memories—Fun Ideas for Pet Participation


Beyond the ceremony, there are plenty of fun ways to involve your pet in your celebration. Let them join you for a first look, walk down the aisle together, or even share a dance. Set up a “pet selfie station” for guests to snap photos with your animal, or provide a guestbook where friends can leave notes to your pet. If your pet is especially social, they might enjoy mingling during cocktail hour or greeting guests at the reception. The key is to make their involvement joyful and stress-free for both you and your pet.



Including your pet in your wedding day is a beautiful way to celebrate the unconditional love and joy they bring to your life. With thoughtful planning and a personalized approach, you can create lasting memories that honor every member of your family. Sammond Events is passionate about helping couples in Charleston, Columbia, and beyond plan meaningful, pet-friendly weddings that reflect their unique story. Whether your pet walks down the aisle or is honored in spirit, your day will be all the more special for the love you share.

How Do You Narrow Down a Wedding Guest List? Expert Tips for Creating Your Perfect Celebration

by Kylie Sammond, Wedding PlannerHow ToPosted on Comments are Disabled

Creating your wedding guest list is one of the most exciting—and sometimes stressful—steps in planning your big day. Whether you’re dreaming of an intimate gathering or a grand celebration, deciding who makes the cut can be an emotional and logistical challenge. As a passionate wedding planner at Sammond Events, I know how important it is for couples all over South Carolina to strike the perfect balance between your vision, your budget, and your relationships. In this detailed guide, we’ll walk you through the process of narrowing down your guest list, offering personalized strategies to ensure your wedding is filled with love, joy, and the people who matter most.

Bride and Groom having their first dance in front of their wedding guests
Photo By Leigh Hayward


Start with Your Vision and Venue


Before you jot down a single name, take a moment to envision your ideal wedding day. Do you picture a cozy dinner with your closest friends and family, or a lively celebration with everyone you know? Your dream day should guide your guest list size. Next, consider your venue’s capacity. Venues in Columbia, Charleston, and the surrounding regions often have strict limits, so knowing your maximum headcount is essential. Matching your vision to your venue’s size will help set realistic expectations from the outset.


Establish Your Budget Early


Your budget is a major factor in determining your guest list. Every additional guest impacts your catering, seating, rentals, invitations, and even transportation costs. Sit down as a couple (and with any family members contributing financially) to decide on a comfortable budget. Break down how much you can allocate per guest. This practical approach ensures you can celebrate in style without sacrificing financial peace of mind.


Create a Master Wedding Guest List—Then Divide and Conquer


Start by writing out a master list of everyone you’d love to invite—family, friends, coworkers, childhood pals, and beyond. Don’t worry about numbers yet. Next, divide the list into categories: immediate family, extended family, close friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. This will help you visualize where your priorities lie. For couples with large families or friend groups, this step is especially helpful for identifying must-haves versus nice-to-haves.


Set Ground Rules and Make Cuts Together


To keep the process fair and harmonious, agree on a few ground rules. For example:

  • No inviting anyone one of you has never met.
  • No plus-ones unless the guest is married, engaged, or in a long-term relationship.
  • Children only if they’re immediate family.

As you review your categories, start trimming the list together. If you’re torn about inviting someone, ask yourselves: When was the last time we spoke? Would we be disappointed if they couldn’t attend? These questions can help clarify who truly belongs on your special day.

Handle Family Dynamics with Care


Family expectations can add complexity to the guest list process, especially in the South where traditions run deep. Be open and honest with your families about your limitations—whether it’s venue size, budget, or your desire for an intimate wedding. If parents are contributing financially, consider giving them a set number of invites to allocate as they wish. I often mediate these conversations, helping families find compromises that honor both tradition and the couple’s wishes.


Rethink Plus-Ones and Children


Deciding whether to allow plus-ones and children can significantly affect your numbers. A clear, consistent policy helps avoid confusion and hurt feelings. If you’re limiting plus-ones to married couples or long-term partners, communicate this gently but firmly. For children, you might opt for an adults-only affair or make exceptions for close family. Including a thoughtful note in your invitations or on your wedding website can help set expectations kindly.


Communicate with Grace and Gratitude


Inevitably, you may need to explain your guest list decisions to friends or family who didn’t make the cut. Approach these conversations with warmth and gratitude, emphasizing your constraints and your hope to celebrate together in other ways—perhaps at a post-wedding brunch or a virtual toast. Remember, your wedding is about celebrating your love and future together, not meeting everyone’s expectations.


Lean on Your Wedding Planner for Support


Working with Sammond Events for your planning, I’m here to guide you through every step of wedding planning—including the tricky guest list. We offer personalized advice, mediate family discussions, and help you navigate etiquette with grace. Our goal is to ensure your guest list reflects your unique story and priorities, making your celebration as joyful and stress-free as possible.


Narrowing down your wedding guest list can feel overwhelming, but with a thoughtful approach, clear communication, and a supportive team, you’ll create a celebration that feels just right. Remember, your wedding day is about you and your partner—surrounded by the people who mean the most. If you need guidance or a compassionate ear, Sammond Events is here to help couples in Columbia, Charleston, Greenville and beyond craft the perfect guest list for their dream day.

Bridesmaids with Bride

Wedding Duties: Who Does What?

by Kylie Sammond, Wedding PlannerHow ToPosted on No Comments

There is a lot to do when it comes to putting together a wedding. Even if you hire a wedding planner who’s taking care of the little fine details, there are some tasks your planner just can’t simply do. Getting these tasks done does not mean you have to tackle them all yourself however. Your bridal party, family, and friends should be happy to help you take care of the little things. But the question is, who does what? Truly, it is up to you. However, we’re providing you with a list to guide you on who you can ask to help you.

Maid of Honor:

  • Serve as the leader of the bridesmaids; coordinating luncheons and fittings
  • Plans/Finances the bridal shower, with assistance of bridesmaids
  • Plans/Finances the bachelorette party, with assistance of bridesmaids
  • Lists who gave gifts for future thank you cards during showers and parties
  • Assists in wedding tasks such as addressing invitations, managing guests lists, etc.
  • Serves as emotional support of the bride throughout the wedding planning process and on the wedding day
  • Holds the bride’s bouquet during the wedding ceremony
  • Holds a tissue for the bride during the ceremony
  • Makes sure the bride’s train is photogenic during the ceremony and during photos
  • Serves as a witness on wedding certificate
  • Helps with cleanup of gifts, decor, etc. after the wedding reception

Bridesmaid

  • Finances/Assists in the planning and set up of bridal shower
  • Finances/Assists in the planning and set up of bachelorette party
  • Assists in wedding tasks such as addressing invitations, managing guests lists, etc.
  • Serves as emotional support of the bride throughout the wedding planning process and on the wedding day
  • Attend fittings, luncheons, and any other pre-wedding events
  • Helps with cleanup of gifts, decor, etc. after the wedding reception

Best Man

  • Serve as the leader of the groomsmen; coordinating luncheons and fittings
  • Supports the groom in wedding planning tasks
  • Plans/Finances the bachelor party, with assistance of groomsmen
  • Serves as emotional support of the groom throughout the wedding planning process and on the wedding day
  • Holds the rings during the ceremony until it is time for them to be exchanged
  • Serves as a witness on wedding certificate
  • Helps with cleanup of gifts, decor, etc. after the wedding reception

Groomsmen

  • Assists the best man with planning/financing bachelor party
  • Serves as emotional support of the groom throughout the wedding planning process and on the wedding day
  • Attend fittings, luncheons, and any other pre-wedding events
  • Helps with cleanup of gifts, decor, etc. after the wedding reception

Parents typically help financially with weddings, however, finances are always a touchy subject, especially given the costs of weddings. It is best practice to speak with your parents/family early on about what they can contribute.

Groom’s Parents

  • Host the rehearsal party
  • Finance the bride’s rings

Bride’s Parents

  • Host the engagement party
  • Finance the grooms rings
  • Hosts Post Wedding Brunch

Planning Your Wedding Processional

by Kylie Sammond, Wedding PlannerHow ToPosted on No Comments

The wedding ceremony is the part of your wedding that most people will pay close attention to. Not only is it important due to this, but also because of the symbolism for the start of your marriage. While there are many details to wedding ceremonies, the wedding processional is the biggest and most crucial detail to pay attention to.

What is a Wedding Processional?
A wedding processional is the lineup of the bridal party, family members, and of course, the bride and groom that will walk down the aisle. This will include your bridesmaids and groomsmen, ring bearers, and flower girls. Many people find this to be a delicate task due to honoring the most important people in your life in a big way. There are many ways you can arrange your processional and luckily there is no right or wrong way. How it is done will depend on several factors.

The Officiant
The Officiant is the person performing the ceremony. This can be a pastor, priest, minister, or just someone who is certified to be an officiant. You may also opt to have a special loved one perform the wedding ceremony, in which they can register online to become a minister very easily on sites such as The Universal Life Church. Typically the officiant is the first person to walk the aisle at the very beginning of the ceremony. They may come out alone or with the groom.

The Groom
The Groom is the one role in the entire ceremony that has the most options for coming down the aisle. They may walk down with the officiant, with their parents/mother, or with all of the groomsmen in a line. The decision of who they are walking with will determine at what point they should walk down the aisle.

Parents/Grandparents
Some couples want to incorporate their parents in the wedding ceremony. Some may even choose to have their grandparents walk down the aisle if they are able to. If you would like to include your family members in your processional, there are a few ways to do this. If grandparents are included, they will typically go first, followed by parents. If anyone has mobility issues, or walking alone, you can arrange for a sibling who’s not in the bridal party escort them to their seat or have someone in the bridal party do so and sneak back around.

Parents can be done in a number of ways. The groom may walk up with his mother, with his father already seated, or he can walk down the aisle with both of them. Traditionally, the bride’s father will walk the bride down to give her away, however this isn’t always the case. Sometimes both of her parent’s will walk with her or not at all. The mother can also walk down the aisle alone during the ceremony, with the groom’s mother, or be escorted by a loved one. The key is to have family members walk down the aisle before the bridal party begins.

The Bridal Party
There are two main ways to have your bridesmaids and groomsmen walk down the aisle during your processional. The most traditional way is to pair the groomsmen and bridesmaids together and have them walk down in opposite order of their stance on stage, meaning the best man and maid of honor will walk down the aisle last, but will be standing closest to the bride and groom.

The second way option for your bridal party to walk down the aisle is to have all of the groomsmen walk up together with the groom, and have the bridesmaids walk out one at a time, solo. If you opt for this, the men will walk out in order of which they are standing and the women would walk out in reverse order.

Ring Bearer/Flower Girl
Children in a wedding can always bring a special touch to a wedding, especially if they have a sweet connection with the couple. Traditionally the ring bearers and flower girls will walk down the aisle right before the bride. They may walk down together or separately, which can be decided through many factors. An example would be their ages and if they need the older children to help guide the younger ones and it is easier to keep them together. If you are sending them down the aisle separately, traditionally, the ring bearer would go first, so that the flower girl(s) can lay the pedals for only the bride (and her father) to walk on. Additionally, you do not need both a ring bearer AND a flower girl, nor do you have to have either at all.

The Bride
The one rule that really doesn’t have any wiggle room is that the bride is the grand finale of the processional. The bride may walk up with her father, parents, or alone. She may also choose to have someone else give her away such as a brother or other family member in the event her parents have passed or are not at the wedding. If being given away, the bride and her escort will stop at the end of the aisle and the officiant will ask who is giving this bride away, in which the escort will address (“I, her father, do”, “her mother and I do”, etc.).

How to have a Seamless Ceremony
Holding a wedding rehearsal is crucial and very simple. Most rehearsals take 15-30 minutes depending on clarity of the processional order before the rehearsal and cooperation of all parties. If possible, avoid alcohol for the bridal party until the rehearsal is complete, as people will tend to get distracted, taking more time. In the rehearsal make sure everyone is aware of who they are walking with and in what order. They will also need to establish their marks of where to stand, and the speed in which they should walk down the aisle. Having a wedding planner or coordinator for the rehearsal is a great way to get through the rehearsal as a third party will have a better time getting everyone in order and make sure everyone has an understanding of their part in the ceremony, so the only hitch to go off will be yours and your mates.