Getting married is such a huge celebration in one’s life. When you plan it, you want all the people you love at the celebration, especially your fur babies. I had never heard of a service that allows you to be stress-free about your pet on your big day. I know so many people who want their pets at their wedding, so learning about this service is a big deal. I was curious to know more about this company and the owner involved. I asked Monika if I could interview her, and she agreed. If you are preparing to get married and in the South Florida area, and you need help with your fur babies on your special day, now you know who to call.
Her interview is below:
Tell me a little about yourself
So where do I start? I will keep it short and sweet. Hi, my name is Monika and I would call myself an animal lover. Since I was younger I remember saving small animals such as birds, rabbits and cats. I am surprised I didn’t go to school for Veterinary science but I think I would have a hard time dealing with abused animals that come in and of course the euthanasia part (I cry in every animal movie, even the cartoons). Instead I ended up getting various degrees that range from business, corporate public relations, even mental health counseling and psychology. Fun fact I also have a doctorate. As a counselor I concentrated on doing animals assisted therapy and learning a lot about animal behavior. Nowadays, I am very involved in the rescue world and try to help out whenever possible. I have learned how to give vaccines, about medications, have helped out during surgeries and saved the life of a number of felines and canines along the way. You will always find me doing something in relation to animals, including my newest venture my wedding pet care company: Furever Us.
When did you realize there was a demand for your service?
This actually happened when I was planning my own wedding. Both my husband and I knew, we would never walk down the aisle without our furbabies, at least the canine ones. It took a lot of planning to make sure they were present and unfortunately, due to the dog sitter not knowing much about weddings and our wedding planner not being on top of it, we ended up with only one photo of the four of us. One photo that I even had to edit. It is during this time that I thought, we are surely not the only couple that loves their furbabies so much to have them share our big day with us, and Furever Us was started. It is a venture that I love and feel very proud of. As I can help make one of their best day in their life even better.
If a Bride or Groom hires you what kind of services do you offer for the day of the wedding?
We take care of anything pet related. We help plan any pet related logistics before, after and during the wedding and then make sure they happen. This includes; transport, picture planning, pet attendance, honeymoon sitting, renting out props such as cars, wagons, pet accessories such as bowties, dresses and suits and anything else that they would need for that day. We also coordinate with all the vendors to make sure everything goes according to plan and the couple gets the pictures and footage they want. We help them create a vision of what they want and execute it. You could say we are a wedding dog planner.
How far in advance should they hire you?
We always recommend at least three months in advance. The more time in between the planning of the wedding and the actual wedding the better. We are a very small group and don’t want to grow so quickly because our main goal is the well-being of our couple’s pets. We have done weddings with two weeks in advance notice but it was a lucky day for the couple because we didn’t have another wedding that day. We do travel for wedding and can do wedding all over the country but that takes planning to make sure everything runs smoothly.
What has been the cutest thing you have seen a dog do at a wedding?
The cutest part was when we helped plan a surprise entrance for a dog. The moment the ring bearer was about to give the rings to the groom, he pretended not to find them and all of a sudden the dogs comes driving down the aisle with the rings. It was adorable!
What’s your favorite part of your job?
What is not to love. I get to be with dogs or cats all day and then see a happy couple tie the knot. There is so much love in the air that day, it just feels special, being part of that makes my heart sing.
Can you tell me a few of your favorite pet-friendly wedding venues you have worked at to help future brides & grooms select a venue?
For sure. There are some that are so great and you can really tell they love dogs and have dogs of their own. The Addison in Boca Raton is spectacular and they are very dog friendly. The Besty Hotel in South Beach is another venue that is open to our four-legged furriends. Another venue is Margarita Ville. Cocoplum in South Miami is also a very pet friendly venue. There are so many and we are compiling a list on our new website that will be done really soon.
Do you have dogs of your own? If you do what kind and how old?
Yes! I could not live without them! So they range from 5 months old to 10 years old. Our 5 month old is a German Shepherd/Pyrenees Mix his name is Smokey. Then we have a 6 year old dog named Chase. And a ten year old maltese/poodle mix named Bailey. She is the queen of the house. Our house would be empty without them.
What’s your favorite thing about your pet?
Each and every one of them is special. We also have cats and they each have their own personality. They are my children and just their presence makes me happy, even though as I am answering this two of them have dug a big hold in the yard. I can’t help but laugh.
Do you have anything you would like my readers to know about?
Just to know that having their dog in their wedding or engagement is possible and now they have a company that can do that for them. We are bonded, licensed and insured and all of us are trained and have been in pet medical emergency situations. Your dogs will be pampered and loved on the moment we are with them. We go so far to make sure that they only get bottled water. Nothing is too much for our couple’s dogs.
Instagram www.instagram.com/fureverus
Facebook www.facebook.com/fureverus
Website www.fureverus.com
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