SEATTLE, WA—Rover® (Nasdaq: ROVR), the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care, today released its first Pet-Friendly Wedding Report. As wedding season begins, data backed by pet parents across the U.S. shows that couples are looking to incorporate their pets into their special day more than ever. Whether it’s walking down the aisle, appearing in wedding photos or being featured in decor, pets are front and center at many celebrations of love.
According to the report, 81% of pet parents who are currently engaged, or expecting to be soon, plan to include their pet in their wedding or union, however only 44% (nearly an even split with 45% dogs and 43% of cats) of already married pet parents have actually done so. To help bridge this gap, Rover empowers pet parents to celebrate their big day, with pets in tow, by booking a trusted sitter on Rover to support any and all pet logistics.
“Whether you’d like your pet to walk down the aisle, join you for photos or share a special toast, including your pet in your celebration of love is the ultimate testament to the unique bonds that exist between people and their pets,” said Kate Jaffe, Rover Trends Expert. “Through the capable care of trusted pet sitters on Rover, we’re honored to help pet parents include their canine and feline family members in their life’s special moments.”
Rover’s Pet-Friendly Wedding report includes unique data from 1,000 married or engaged pet parents in the U.S. Key findings from the report include:
- Couples Want Pet-Friendly Venues: 83% of pet parents said they would be more inclined to choose a wedding venue with pet accommodations.
- Sit, Stay, Go: 72% of pet parents would be willing to remove certain guests from their wedding, in favor of including their pet instead. Work friends (30%) would be the first group axed in favor of including their pet instead, followed by out of town cousins, aunts or uncles (25%) and college friends (18%).
- Forget the Gifts, Give Me the Dog: One-in-four (26%) of pet parents would go without wedding gifts if it meant they could include their pet in the wedding.
- Pets Are Chowin’ Down: If there were no limits or barriers, 39% of pet parents would include pet-friendly menu options. In fact, 18% of pet parents opted for, or plan to include, a pet-friendly meal option at the reception party.
- In Pets We Trust: Nearly a third (32%) of pet parents would be interested in using their pet as their legal witness.
- Here Comes the Pet: If there were no limits or barriers to including pets in their wedding, 56% of pet parents would walk down the aisle with them. Cats take the lead here with 58% while dogs trail slightly behind at 55%.
- Pets and Kids are Valued Equally: It appears pet parents are just as motivated to include pets in their wedding as they are to include kids. When it comes to pet parents who have already married, 41% said they spent more than $250 for their pet to be there, while 42% of the same group said they spent more than $250 for kids to be there.
“One of the best ways to show off the life you have built together is to include the furry friends that you share your love with,” said Kiara Hancock, owner and Creative Director at K. Hancock Design in Tacoma, WA. “Some couples find it daunting to include their pets, it simply doesn’t have to be. Having a designated handler who isn’t in your wedding party that can help transport your pet to and from the venue is essential. And remember they don’t have to stay the whole time! If it’s easiest to have them participate and then be taken someplace where they can be safe for the rest of the evening with someone you trust, do that.”
Having a trusted sitter on Rover to help care for and seamlessly integrate pets into couples’ big day allows all parties to be happy, calm and have their needs met. For the full report, please visit here.
The Pet-Friendly Wedding Report was developed by Rover in May 2023. Survey results are based on a Rover survey of 1,000 engaged or recently married U.S. pet parents, conducted via Pollfish in May 2023.
About Rover
Founded in 2011 and based in Seattle, Rover (NASDAQ: ROVR) is the world’s largest online marketplace for loving pet care. Rover connects pet parents with loving pet care providers who offer overnight services, including boarding and in-home pet sitting, as well as daytime services, including doggy daycare, dog walking, and drop-in visits. Millions of pet parents have booked a service on Rover across North America and Europe.
Contact:
Kristin Sandberg
pr@rover.com
360-510-6365