Wedding Dog Love Stories: Carly, David & Millie

Furever Wedding Stories with Dogs

Do you believe in destiny? After reading Carly and David’s story you will. These two souls have found a way to come together as one and make us believe that soul mates exist.

A love for the ages

Carly and David’s story began nine years ago. They met in their first class freshman year at the University of Michigan, Engineering 100, and were paired up in a semester-long group project together. Through being on the same group project, having many of the same classes, and being in Greek life, they spent much time together and grew close. The spark lasted all year, but they lost touch during their sophomore and junior year.

It was meant to be because senior year they ran into each other at their favorite Michigan bar, Rick’s, and reconnected. The spark came back, and David and Carly started hanging out more and more. Carly wanted a relationship, but David didn’t want to commit since they would be in different cities post-graduation and had separate Europe travel plans over the summer. However, while traveling abroad after graduation before starting his job, he realized their spark was so strong that he did not want to lose her and that it did not matter that they would be in different cities. He tried to make it work and officially asked Carly to be his girlfriend as soon as he returned to the States.

That was the beginning of a very important chapter in their lives.

Their first date

Our first official date was February of senior year. While they had spent much time together before, David and Carly had not gone on an official date until that point. So David asked Carly to be his Valentine, and we went to dinner and a movie: Star Wars Rogue One. Although David was late to pick Carly up (her pet peeve), they somehow were an hour early to the film, which was a little weird and awkward :). Besides, It wasn’t uncomfortable since they had already hung out and knew each other well. This led to many more official dates throughout the rest of my senior year.

It was Meant to Be….

Carly told us “David and I had so much in common from the get-go. It was easy to talk to him, and he made me feel comfortable immediately. I had a feeling very early on that I could see long-term potential with him. During the winter of 2018, we went to Jordan to see David’s Aunt and Uncle for a week. I usually need a break from people after spending that much time with them, but when we returned on New Year’s Eve, I only wanted to spend more time together. This was when I knew we had something special. Once we moved in together and David could deal with my quirks, I knew we’d spend forever together.”

While David commented “As Carly knows, it took me longer to commit to her fully and truly realize that she was the one. The first instance was when we were in Chicago for my fraternity formal at the end of my Senior year. Despite being out until four am the night before, Carly was willing to get breakfast with my parents the following day, who drove down from the suburbs despite us not officially dating. Given how important family is to her and me, this made me even more attracted to her, especially as I watched her engage with my parents and seamlessly fit in. The second instance was while traveling in Europe over the summer after graduating and reflecting on the two of us; I realized I could see myself marrying her. At that moment, I knew that I did not want to lose her and was ready to fully commit despite my past considerations for why I didn’t want to before.”

Carly’s and David’s love has conquered continents. This is clear when they were asked about the characteristics they love most about each other:

“Carly brings an amazing energy that spreads to everyone she is around. I cannot stop smiling when I am around her. She is sweet, kind, intelligent, caring, and so much more. Her selflessness and determination in life are so admirable, and she makes me the best version of myself. “
David

“David is so optimistic and kind. He truly always looks for the good in people and has never said a mean word about anyone. He is organized, thoughtful, and hard-working. We have so much fun together, no matter what we’re doing!”
Carly

PICKING THE WEDDING VENUE

After they got engaged in August 2020, they knew they wanted to enjoy it and did not feel rushed to pick a wedding date. Also, with the COVID pandemic, they tried to select a date far enough when it would hopefully be less impactful on society. So, in January 2021, after reviewing our options, Carly and David decided to get married in Florida and picked a spring date, April 30, 2022, when it would not be peak season but still enjoyable to have an outdoor wedding.

They got married in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, at the Mirasol Country Club Carly’s parents belong. At first they thought we’d get married in Cincinnati, OH (where Carly is from), but none of the venues felt right. When they met with Mirasol’s event planner and walked through the spaces, they knew it was perfect for them. The venue hosts several weddings a year and has many recommendations for vendors.

Picking The other wedding vendors

We always wonder- how do couples pick out the vendors they do. With so many options it can be quite overwhelming. Carly and David hired a wedding planner Creative Touch Party Design, who helped them. ‘We decided to work with Danielle after talking to her. She immediately understood us, and I immediately felt a sense of trust. Danielle and her team did a fantastic job helping make our wedding the best day of our lives! When we talked with Emily, our photographer, we always meshed well with her. We usually hate being photographed, but we had so much fun when we met Emily to get our engagement photos! The same can be said about our wedding day!”

And Kylo’s Plus-One vendor?

Picking a dog sitter for their wedding that will take care of the very important family member was not as simple. Carly found Furever Us through Emily Harris. Emily had worked with us before and knew we would treat Millie like Royalty.

Now Let’s talk about Millie-The very impawtant dog of honor

They had always known that we wanted to get a dog together. Carly comments “David grew up allergic to dogs, so we knew we had to research what type of dog to get. We determined that an Australian Labradoodle would be the most hypoallergenic and fit with what we were looking for in a dog. After a thorough search of a certified breeder. We got Millie from Labradoodle Dreams out of Livonia, Michigan. Besides having excellent reviews, the breeder was about 30 minutes away from the University of Michigan. A Michigan puppy for Michigan alums couldn’t have been a more perfect fit.”

“Our breeder matched Millie with us based on the application we filled out and our lifestyle. We were able to express that we preferred a female dog, but the breeder uses the application to help decide what environment works best for each puppy based on their temperament. When we went to pick her up, she immediately ran over to greet us and had us give her belly rubs! From that moment on, we fell in love with her and knew that it was meant to be that she was picked for us.”

The inspiration behind including Their dog in Their wedding.

We love Millie so much; she is such a big part of our life. We couldn’t imagine not seeing her on such an important day. Of course, we wanted her in photos, which brought us so much joy seeing her there the day of.

Meeting Millie was such a pleasure. We had a meet-and-greet a few days before, and from the first doggie kiss- we knew we would be best friends. Millie is an easygoing pupster with a lot of energy. We took her for a long walk around the venue before she saw her mom and dad to see if we could burn some of her energy. She did pawtastic when she saw them. Of course, she recognized them from afar.

Lastly, let’s talk about future plans.

Future Plans

David and Carly love traveling with Millie! Carly added, “This summer, they took her on a road trip to DC and Long Beach Island, NJ. She went swimming for the first time and loved it! She also went to the University of Illinois in May to celebrate her aunt’s graduation. She’s a great traveler! On a personal note, we are traveling to Argentina in December for our honeymoon.”