February 1, 2025, 4:38 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
For some people, dogs are more than just pets. The four-legged friends are not only fully-fledged family members but also child substitutes, training partners, and, in some places, even witnesses to the marriage. In some US states, dogs can actually be appointed as legal witnesses at weddings.
Typically, couples looking to get married are required to select one or two individuals to be present at the wedding ceremony as legal witnesses. In the eyes of the law, they act as witnesses that the wedding ceremony actually took place. For most people, these are best friends, family members, or even close work colleagues. They also often have the role of organizing or helping to plan some things at the wedding reception. They support the bride and groom during the celebrations and, if needed, provide comfort when nerves are frayed. In some US States, dogs can serve as witnesses.
Dogs and Cats Sign the Marriage Certificate with a Paw Print
What might fail in Germany due to bureaucratic hurdles has been possible in the USA for years. In some states, for example, couples can use their dogs as witnesses at their own wedding1 In the US state of Colorado, the four-legged friend can witness the marriage ceremony by painting one of the dog’s paws with bright colors and leaving an imprint at the bottom left of the marriage certificate – where it says “Witness.”
However, residents of the Rocky Mountain state enjoy a simplified process that also spares registrars from the potential of hearing dogs bark every evening. Anyone wishing to tie the knot in Colorado does not have to appear in person at the registry office. The couple simply has to apply for a marriage certificate from the local authority, pay a fee, sign the certificate, and return it within 35 days.
Dogs Can Be Witnesses in These States
If this is too impersonal or unromantic for you, you can be officially married by a judge, registrar, or clergyman. You can then bring your dog along to fulfill this role. However, care should be taken to ensure that the animal witness does not accidentally stain the wedding dress with its painted paws.
Incidentally, dogs are not the only animals that lovers in Colorado can choose as witnesses. Cats, hamsters, rabbits – virtually any pet capable of leaving a paw print – can also serve as witnesses.2
But Colorado is not the only state where animals can be witnesses. In Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C., pets such as dogs can also be included as witnesses on the marriage certificate. However, Colorado is so far the only state where dogs can also sign the marriage certificate with a paw print3
“My Parents Got Married in Their Living Room with Their Two Dogs as Witnesses”
If you don’t want to get officially married in Colorado but still want your pet to be your best man, you can still get your wish. In 23 states, no witnesses are required for the ceremony; it is just a license signed by a human or animal. In six other states (California, Iowa, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and South Dakota), only one witness is required, meaning that a pet can also be present theoretically. The reason for this is the so-called self-attestation – a unique legal regulation that allows couples to marry without a clergyman or traditional witness.
However, animal witnesses are not a modern invention but have been possible for several decades. In 2019, for example, a user posted the following on Reddit: “[My parents] got married in their living room with their two dogs as witnesses. It’ll be 30 years next week!” He also posted a photo of the then-newlyweds.
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Some Celebrities Have Also Chosen Animals as Their Wedding Witnesses
There are even some celebrities who have also opted for an animal best man. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” actress Chelsea Peretti and her husband Jordan Peele, for example, chose their dog as best man in 2016. “We eloped a while back. Our sole witness was this little one,” Peretti shared in an Instagram post, featuring her dog alongside a bouquet and a wedding ring.