Furry Flower Girl/Ring Bearer?

Growing up, I used to beg my mom and dad to buy me a puppy. I wished for a puppy on every falling star, birthday candles, and necklace clasps that had fallen to the front. I wrote Santa every year. I would go on walks by myself and pretend that I had a dog. Sadly, with 3 other siblings, I guess my parents had enough to deal with and we never got a puppy. Sadness.

Then one day while I was visiting Ryan at grad school, we started talking about what it would be like to live together. I had just finished my masters degree in Ohio, and he still had a year left in Indiana. A few weeks earlier we had decided that instead of looking for a full time job in my field, I would move out to Indiana with him and we'd live together while he finished school. It was a wonderful time in our lives; still young enough that a real job didn't matter as much, but old enough to want to play house for real (we actually didn't even get engaged until 2 years later). And as we sat in his little apartment, discussing cohabitation and how it would all work, we decided that once I moved in, we'd get a dog. I wanted one of these: (source)
I have been in love with Britney's for as long as I can remember and while I don't duck hunt, I would just LOVE one of these little guys to curl up on my lap! So we did some research, and as it happens, a Britney from a reputable breeder comes with a price tag that we were in no way, shape, or form willing or able to pay. But back in those days, nothing was going to keep me from buying a Britney.... even when Ryan suggested we go to the Humane Society "just to look". I rolled my eyes, said 'fine, but I'm not going to like anything', and to the shelter we went. And just as easily as Ryan had suggested the trip to the shelter, and just as easily as the sun rises every morning, we fell in love with a sad, scared dog named May.

When we got to the shelter, we asked to see the puppies (because really, everyone wants a puppy) and were immediately told that the puppy room was off-limits for at least 2 weeks while they cleared up some sort of bacterial thing all the pups had gotten. Grossed out and disappointed, we decided to play with some of the older dogs. I mean, we were there, right? So we took a few of the bigger dogs out to the play yard and watched each one run toward the fence as if trying to escape. Each dog was more concerned with sniffing the picnic table, playing ball, or just being able to stretch out on the grass. They weren't for us.

And as we were leaving, I noticed a small-ish dog crouched in the back of her run. Her information card said she was about a year old and had been found wandering the streets just days before. It also noted that she was injured. Curious, I crouched down and called to the dog, and she calmly walked up to the gate. I could see that her back foot was bleeding, and sent Ryan to find someone to take care of it. He came back with the girl from the front desk, and we brought the dog out to clean her foot; I knelt down to hold her and she melted into my arms. When she was all fixed up, we brought her out to the play yard.

I remember Ryan throwing the ball for her, and I remember her looking at the ball in the air for a second before gently walking over to where I sat on the picnic bench. She rested her head on my lap and looked up at me. Her tail wagged, but just a little. When I rested my hand on her head, it wagged a little more. We sat like that for a moment, and I got up to walk over to where Ryan stood. The dog trotted over, opening her toe would again (it actually looked like someone tried to cut off the tip of her toe with a wire cutter), but not caring at all. She sat down on Ryan's feet, leaned into his legs, and looked up at us with the saddest face. It was then that we fell in love with her.

And now, three years later, this is who greets me with with biggest smile when I get home every day:

(I took this pic of her curled up in the sun this past winter... she's not smiley here, but trust me, she has a HUGE grin)

Now, we couldn't imagine life without her! So when we found out that the Loews Annapolis Hotel (our venue) was dog friendly, I immediately wanted Marley to be involved in our wedding. I figured we've make a nice pearl collar for her, tie our rings on it, and let her loose down the aisle.

Now that I'm really thinking about it, I'm not so sure how she'd react. My gut impression is that she'd see us at the end of the aisle, but would be waaaay more interested in sniffing up our guests. Decisions, decisions... anyone have their fur-baby in their wedding and semi-regret their decision?