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Welcome to the blog, home to Chicago's queer intimate wedding photographer for couples in love + their four-legged family.
(I'm here and queer!)
1. My first name is Mei Lin (she/her)
2. I'm part of the LGBTQ+ & BIPOC communities
3. I really love pugs!
4. I’m a huge musical theatre fan
5. I care deeply about animal welfare as well as social justice issues.
6. I incorporate sustainable practices throughout your wedding photography experience
Photo By Lena Mirisola Photography
It’s difficult to know how to calm your energetic and hyper dog at a wedding or elopement. Weddings and elopements are such a super exciting and stimulating day for some dogs who are especially prone to being energetic (which obviously otherwise is welcomed!). While you love the bountiful energy your dog has while taking a long walk with you or playing in the park, it’s understandable that you want to set your hyper dog up for a calm and successful time at your wedding.
With over a decade of experience with all kinds of dogs, especially rescue dogs, I want to ensure your wedding day is memorable for all the right reasons when it comes to your dog. I’ll outline some of my best advice for marriers who bring their hyper dogs to their wedding or elopement (regardless of how much time their dog spends at the wedding). This advice is also equally applicable for your engagement session or portrait session!
Spend as much time as possible with your dog in the days leading up to your wedding. Obviously easier said than done when you’re running around doing all the last minute things that are bound to come up. However, any spare time (even an extra five minutes) a day of dedicated time for you and your dog to spend together can go a long way. Often I’ve found and heard from people that their dogs not only feel the extra energy from all of the activities/planning, but they can also sometimes feel a bit anxious which results in them appreciating extra dedicated quality time. Spending just those few extra minutes a day could help reassure your dog and make them feel seen and loved even when you’ll be gone for most of the day on your actual wedding day. Click here to view signature dog galleries (that include some hyper dogs).
Take your dog out for a nice long walk/run the day before (and more throughout the week if you’re able to, but I highly recommend specifically the day before).
Add in some extra stimulating activities the day prior (sniffing mat, puzzle feeder games, peanut butter frozen kong toy, anything that your dog enjoys and is mentally enriching). This allows them to not only physically get some energy out, but any kind of mental stimulation like that helps them to redirect some of the extra energy that they pick up from an exciting busy week just before a big event like this.
Add in a nice walk and stimulating activities the morning of. I understand completely that this is hard when there are so many moving parts to the morning of a wedding day. I would recommend delegating this (ahead of time so they know what to expect) to a friend or a family member. It’s definitely an added thing on their end, but I’ve found (and heard) that close family/friends love having something tangible to do to help out, and plus I’m sure there are loads of your people who love dogs as well. So it’s a bit of a win win situation in that regard.
Have someone bring your dog at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled dog portrait time. This allows your dog to sniff around and take in their surroundings. This can help make the portrait time go smoother and calmer as they will already have had a few minutes to process their new environment. That way when you finally reunite for photos, it’ll be at least one new thing out of the way. Pro tip: hire a professional dog caretaker so that you don’t need to designate a guest for the role!
Bring a harness and a collar. A harness is great especially in the beginning because obviously we don’t want your dog pulling hard on their neck from the collar which can tend to happen when they’re really excited in a new place. The collar is more for the photos since they photograph better than a bulky harness. That said, if your dog is unable to be in only a collar (and leash of course) then we can definitely use a harness, just make sure it is clean and photo-ready.
Bring whatever treats are high value. What I mean by this, is that even the most food-motivated dogs sometimes can get bored/not as enticed by the same treats. This especially comes into play when there will be so many people and smells and new things to see at the wedding venue. You’ll want something that you know they absolutely *LOVE* so much that they’ll pay attention to you during photos. This helps make the situation a lot easier and more fun for them along with getting their portion of the photos done as quickly as possible to not make it any more stressful than is absolutely necessary. Some high value treats from past clients have been prosciutto (obviously would not be giving a ton of this, but even tiny tiny bite-size portions go a long way), peanut butter, string cheese, and real meat jerky for dogs (think buffalo strips, dried salmon, things of that nature).
Bring your dog’s favorite toy/blanket/pillow/anything that brings them immense joy. If your dog is inseparable with their toy cow for instance, bring that! Anything familiar that could help make your dog feel more at ease and comfortable will be a great help to calming them down. It can also serve as a great visual aid to get your dog to focus away from your outfits and more toward the camera/other direction. This can be great for dogs who aren’t as food-motivated, or if all the stimulus from the day is too much for them to want to eat.
You’ve done all the preparatory work to the best of your ability. After all, you are still planning and prepping for your experience at your wedding! I understand there’s only so much you can do sometimes; weddings are always an extremely stimulating environment for your dog regardless if they’re the calmest dog otherwise yet alone if they’re a bundle of energy on a good day. If you’ve done everything you could but you’re still worried about them having too much energy, bring a blanket that will photograph well (I’ve even had couples bring color-coordinated blankets (coordinated to the dogs’ fur or color-coordinated to your wedding theme/colors) and a towel. The towel can help if it’s wet at all and can help clean up your dog, and the blanket will be good for the actual photos. Of course, we’ll do our best to get photos of just you and your beautiful attire and dog, but, if necessary, we can use the pretty blanket to protect your clothing, so that if all else fails for whatever reason you can still enjoy beautiful wedding photos with your four-legged family.
Everything is so hectic leading up to a wedding day, I get it. There’s so many last-minute details to plan or confirm that if you’re able to do one thing on this list, yet alone all of them, you’ll be happy. Anything is better than nothing and at the end of the day, you want to enjoy seeing and spending time with your four-legged family on your wedding day. I’ll be there to help you on the day of and we’ll make sure to get some great photos regardless of how hyper or energetic your dog is. This day is special, and the most important thing is to enjoy the day and be patient and present with your dog.
Now that you’ve read how to calm your energetic and hyper dog, get in touch with me for your wedding or elopement so that I can document your cherished memories with your four-legged family for you to remember for years to come.
Mei Lin (first name, pronounced "may-LYNN", she/her) is a queer Chicago intimate wedding photographer who's passionate about commemorating diverse couples grounded in the present moment. Animal welfare, social justice, and sustainability are three things that are really important to her.
Trans rights are human rights. Love is love. Stop AAPI Hate. Black Lives Matter.
about the author
Chicago intimate
Wedding Photographer
LGBTQ+, BIPOC, & Woman-operated
for PEOPLE grounded
in the present moment.
Chicago intimate Wedding Photographer
LGBTQ+, BIPOC, & Woman-operated
for PEOPLE grounded in the present moment.
© 2024 Mei Lin Barral Photography
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