Santa Barbara Historical Museum Wedding with a Pug of Honor

Pug of honor, dog of honor, rescue pug with her bride getting ready at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in Southern California. Wedding photography by Veils & Tails Photography.

It’s always a good sign of character when a couple hires me for their wedding, purely based on photos I’ve taken of their dog. Those are priorities I can get behind! This lovely couple found me at the wonderful Trails ‘n’ Tails event at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and their rescue pug Hilda made an immediate impression on me. I kept coming back to her photos and that great big smile, showing everyone I could because she just makes you smile back! I guess her parents appreciated my enthusiasm.

And happily, her humans are also amazing people! I’ve enjoyed getting to know them very much and was extremely honored to be part of their wedding day at the gorgeous Santa Barbara Historical Museum. And what’s more, I was stoked that I didn’t choose the same date for my own wedding, which was only 2 weeks earlier!

I want to shout out a bit to all of the dog-related wedding details, which pretty much made my life complete. 1. She had her own designated dog handler before and during the wedding, giving her plenty of rest and water breaks. 2. She got to walk down the aisle and sit in the front row of course. 3. She was mentineod prominantly in the couple’s vows, and in at least one reception toast. 4. The signature cocktails were named in her honor. 5. And she even got her own personal invitation. :)

This wedding was full of little personalizations. First and foremost, Hilda was dressed to the nines, with a bespoke dress made by her grandma, a fancy shmancy leash from Accessorize Your Pug, and a flower corsage to match her mom’s bouquet, by Grassroots SB. And speaking of the bride’s bouquet, it was incredibly unique. The bride requested a “bougainvillea explosion” and they totally delivered! Next on the bride, we have her custom made clogs. And back to the dog, the reception’s signature cocktails were named in her honor!

Special thanks to the rest of the amazing crew of wedding pros and local vendors who made this such a seamless and beautiful day!