The music begins. Guests rise to their feet. The bride takes a final breath before stepping into view. Beside her stands another member of the wedding party, every bit as thoughtfully dressed as the people waiting at the altar.
For many couples, dogs are no longer simply attending the wedding. They’re walking down the aisle as ring bearers, standing beside their owners, and becoming part of the ceremony itself.
South African designer Nadege Shipley has watched dogs move from the backyard to the centre of the wedding ceremony. She creates custom-made attire for couples who want their four-legged family members to play a meaningful role on the day.
From Children’s Fashion to Canine Couture
“My business used to be called Heavenly Designs, and I made children’s clothing. That business didn’t really work because people weren’t willing to pay for handmade clothing back then.”
She decided to take the business in a different direction. “I was making dog collars and dog jackets for my own dogs. One day, somebody asked me to make one for them, and that’s where it all started.”
By 2019, her children’s brand had become Heavenly Dogs Clothing & Accessories. Before then, Nadege had often seen dogs included in weddings overseas. “Most of the time the dogs are the ring bearers. I saw Americans including their dogs in weddings, and I absolutely loved the idea.”
Then COVID-19 changed everything. While many businesses struggled during lockdown, demand for Nadege’s work grew just as she was considering moving into wedding couture.
The Lockdown Wedding That Started It All
“During lockdown, I got my very first wedding commission. The bride contacted me because she’d ordered outfits for her dogs from another business but never received them. She was desperate because the wedding was only two weeks away. I’d always wanted to create wedding outfits for dogs.”
Her first commission came with immediate pressure. “There wasn’t much time. She gave me the wedding colours and all the details, and I put everything together very quickly.”
To this day, it’s the wedding Nadege remembers most. “They were eloping because of the lockdown restrictions, so the wedding took place in the Midlands. It was just the bride, the groom, the minister, and their two Jack Russells. It was honestly one of the most romantic weddings I’ve ever seen.”
The Perfect Wedding Look
For many couples, simply having their dog at the wedding isn’t enough. They want them dressed as though they belong in the wedding party. Matching is almost always part of the brief.
“I always try to combine my own creativity with what the client wants. Sometimes I’ll even use offcuts from the bridesmaids’ dresses. I once did a wedding where I made all the groomsmen’s ties, the little ring bearer’s bow tie, and the dog’s outfit so that everything matched. If they don’t give me fabric offcuts, I’ll go to the fabric shop myself and source something that matches their colour palette.”
Couples consider this level of detail important enough to incorporate into the wedding budget.
Four Days. Four Outfits. Two Ridgebacks
Not every commission has the luxury of time or goes according to plan. One wedding, in particular, pushed Nadege’s creativity and problem-solving skills to their limits.
“I did one wedding for an Indian couple, and as you know, Indian weddings usually take place over several days. They wanted outfits for their dogs for every single day of the celebrations. The designs were quite complicated because everything had to follow a very specific traditional look. I even had to have fabric specially printed for them.”
Nothing about this assignment was simple. “They wanted blue velvet jackets with gold embossed vinyl, and I had to print these bright yellow elephant patterns onto the fabric for the bandanas. Everything had to coordinate. I remember being quite nervous.”
The designs were not the only challenge. “The dogs weren’t small either. They were large dogs, Ridgebacks. I was really worried I wasn’t going to get it right because the couple lived in Durban, so I couldn’t fit the outfits on the dogs beforehand. That was definitely my most complicated commission.”
A Busy Season Ahead
As South Africa heads towards warmer weather, Nadege is preparing for her favourite time of the year. “I’ve got quite a few weddings coming up because we’re heading into wedding season now, which is usually from October through to December. I’ve been blessed with this business where I can combine my creativity with my love for dogs.”
The wedding season brings more consultations and new commissions. For Nadege, each garment is part of a couple’s love story, preserved in a wedding album they’ll return to for years to come.
Instagram: @heavenlydogclothing
