For many people, pets are like family. So it’s no surprise that more and more couples are saying "I do" to having their furry friends play a part in their wedding.

When event planner Rhegan Wada was planning her own wedding for December 2012 at Turtle Bay Resort, the decision to make her "dogter" Luna a flower girl was a no-brainer.

"We had to have her in the wedding. She’s our baby," said Wada, co-founder of Bash Events, a local event coordination and management company that specializes in weddings.

For her walk down the aisle, Luna — a 4-year-old Shar-Pei/husky/pit bull mix — wore a pink dress with ruffles and a big fabric flower on the back. The outfit, which was inspired by a pattern Wada’s husband, Kyle, found online, was made specially for her by the bride’s aunt.

"It was a hit," said Wada, 31. "Everyone loved it. I could hear everyone as she was walking down the aisle. … Everyone’s camera was out."

The Makiki resident says many of her clients have opted to include their pets, dogs in particular, in their weddings. According to a 2006 American Kennel Club survey of dog owners, 27 percent of respondents ages 18 to 29 said they had included or would include their dogs in their weddings.

But why dogs? Why not cats or a beloved bunny?

"Cats and other pets, I feel like maybe are a little harder because you definitely need a leash. The venues really aren’t going to allow nonleashed animals," Wada said, adding that some venues have restrictions on the size of dog allowed.

Pets, no matter what species, can add an element of unpredictability to an already hectic and nerve-wracking day. But for many pet owners, their wedding day wouldn’t be complete without their four-legged companions, despite the risks.

Eight-year-old Bailey, a maltipoo (half maltese, half poodle), has been with Jaclyn Hawse and Chris Bednarek for the majority of their relationship. He even made the long move from Virginia to Hawaii with the couple when he was just a puppy.

The family eventually settled in the Punchbowl area. Hawse, 31, is communications director at the Battleship Missouri Memorial, and Bednarek, 30, is production director at Team TV.

When Hawse and Bednarek got married two years ago, it was only natural that Bailey would be at the wedding.

"We knew from Day One that we wanted him to be a part of that day," said Hawse. "He’s been such a big part of our whole relationship that it wouldn’t feel right to get married without him there."

Although he usually hates wearing any type of clothing or accessories, Bailey did don a simple blue bow tie while walking — and at times running — down the aisle at Aloha Tower Marketplace with the ring bearer, Hawse’s 3-year-old nephew Jonn.

Hawse said one of the reasons she and her husband decided to have their wedding at Aloha Tower Marketplace was because it was pet-friendly.

"They were certainly accommodating to us having Bailey there, and he was able to be a part of the ceremony and reception as we had always dreamed," she said.

The venue is perhaps the most important thing to consider when planning to have a wedding with pets. Many venues, especially indoor ones, will not allow any animals on the property. So when first meeting with venue representatives, Wada advises couples to be upfront about their plans to include a pet in the ceremony.

The same goes when working with a wedding planner, because pets require additional accommodations.

When one couple wanted to include their bulldog — a breed prone to overheating — in an outdoor wedding, Wada and her business partner, Maria Glidden, made plans for the dog to be brought out right before the ceremony and then taken to a shady spot immediately after walking down the aisle.

"We had to make sure everything was done really quick," Wada said.

For the animal’s welfare and to avoid embarrassing situations, a handler should be designated. Wada said relatives or close friends make the best handlers because pets will feel more calm with someone they know — an important consideration with a crowd of strangers milling around and petting them.

So what if, for one reason or another, your pets can’t be at your wedding but you still want to include them in the nuptials? You could have them in your "getting ready" photos or in the engagement photos, as Natalie Luka­shev­sky did.

Lukashevsky and her fiance, Doug­las Spencer, wanted their four adopted poi dogs to be part of their wedding, set for January. They are both avid animal lovers — she’s the volunteer outreach coordinator at the Hawaiian Humane Society, and he’s an Army military police dog handler.

The couple started looking at outdoor venues because those are more likely to be pet-friendly. But the cost of those spacious venues didn’t make sense for their budget, especially since the wedding will be relatively small.

"When we started looking at the cost of everything and bringing in the caterer, bringing in the decor, bringing in the tables and all that stuff, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to have to include (the pets) in a different way,’" said Luka­shev­sky, 32.

So instead they had Dahlia, Daisy, Fritz and Loki join them in their engagement photos, which were shot at on a beach near Maka­puu. The female dogs wore flowers and the males bow ties in shades of white and teal green, matching the couple’s attire.

While the dogs won’t be at the wedding at the Aston Wai­kiki Hotel next year, Luka­shev­sky said their images will likely appear on table decorations at the reception "to kind of include them so we don’t feel as sad that they’re not there."