How the Westie Got to the Wedding
Brie and Tim’s special day wouldn’t have been complete without their furbaby — one way or another.
Photos by Jessica Vogelsang Photography
A best man is always incorporated into a wedding, but what about man’s best friend? For some, it’s a no brainer that they must include their furry companion in their wedding day, but it can be difficult to do. Some venues may not allow pets, or it can be difficult to keep a watchful eye over them.
So when Brie Ecker and her husband Tim Greed got married, they had to put their heads together.
Meet Oliver, or Ollie, as affectionately called by his owners: a very dashing West Highland White Terrier, commonly referred to as a Westie, who absolutely adores peanut butter.
Photo contributed
“We got him when we were dating, and he was there when Tim proposed to me, too,” says Brie (T proposed to her at home after a spa day, complete with rose petals on the floor and a slideshow of their pictures). “He has quite the personality, and he’s just like a little part of our family. He means a lot to both of us!”
Brie and Tim got married at Duquesne University in November, followed by a reception at Oakmont Country Club. Since neither venue was dog-friendly, Brie and Tim had to put their heads together to come up with unique ways to incorporate their furry friend.
“We [also] didn’t know if he would be able to handle the excitement of a wedding,” Brie says. “But we really tried to include things that were really personal to us … like our dog.”
Ollie’s first appearance was during the couple’s ceremony. Although Ollie couldn’t stand in as best man, he was with Tim as he stood at the end of the aisle, thanks to a gift from Brie. On Tim’s sleeves sat tiny, Westie cufflinks.
Much like a human best man, Ollie was there to save the day in spirit. That morning, Tim had actually forgotten the cufflinks he originally planned to wear and was running around to come up with a solution before he opened Brie’s gift.
“Tim loves Ollie so much, so I thought, ‘These [cufflinks] would be great!’” Brie says with a laugh.
At the reception, a life-size cardboard cutout of Ollie sat next to the cookie table to greet guests. He even offered his own cookies: the cutout had a sign encouraging guests to take home Ollie’s favorite dog biscuits to their own pets.
“I saw [the dog cookie table] for the first time at my cousin’s wedding. She did a table for dog and cat treats, but I thought that would be a cute idea,” Brie says. “Most of my family and friends are dog people, so I thought they would have appreciated that as well. I got little bags made that said, ‘Doggie treat bag, with love, Ollie’ on them.”
Tim and Brie’s human guests were able to enjoy the traditional cookie table, but even that wasn’t devoid of Ollie. Custom made by Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’s Sweet Boutique, the Westie sugar cookies, complete with green bow ties to match the wedding colors, was the hot dessert item of the day.
The day was a beautiful tribute to the couple’s love of their pup, and Brie says that their ideas came together perfectly.
“Ollie has so much personality for such a little dog. He is just so quirky and funny. He loves watching TV… He was with me for the wedding planning, too. He would curl up next to me, and he was supportive in all of my decisions,” Brie says with a laugh.
