You can make the same argument about incense in church. Some people are highly allergic.
I just feel that a couple should be about to have a personal touch at their own wedding, within reason. Sometimes I feel the Church has too many regulations and should loosen up a bit about stuff like this.
I wasn’t trying to make an argument, I was just saying why I wouldn’t personally do it. My mother has very bad asthma and is allergic to certain animal danders and hair as well as perfumes - although surprisingly not to incense. My husband has severe reactions to cat dander and my little cousin’s eyes turn red and swell shut when he’s around animal hair. I was thinking of them when I said that.
That said, incense has been used for worship for centuries - even before Christianity. Bringing pets to mass, on the other hand, has nothing to do with worship, nor does it have anything to do with the Sacrament of marriage. I’ve seen people bring their pets into mass for those animal blessings and I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t even really care if the priest allowed this couple to bring their pets to mass. It was up to the pastor to allow it and those dogs were probably looked after, well-trained, well-behaved and didn’t interfere with the mass.
But Agapewolf is right on with what she said. Both she and I have to deal with wedding couples all the time, since we’re musicians and assist in planning the liturgies with them. The marriage to some of these couples is not about the Sacrament and the years of marriage that follow. It’s about what they can do to “wow” their guests and themselves or how they can make their wedding “different” from everyone else. Outside of the mass, that’s great. They can do whatever they want to their heart’s desire to make their wedding different. But in terms of making their wedding “unique” for mass, there are limits, which are definitely needed.
If bringing the animals into the church is just about “making a statement” (this bride comment is heard all the time in one form or another by anyone who works with weddings) or to make a personal touch to their wedding which has nothing to do with the Sacrament, then it really doesn’t belong although I wouldn’t call it sinful or anything like that. In regards to the couple bringing their pets for the wedding - I doubt it was to wow anyone. They probably just love their pets and wanted them there. And their priest was kind enough to allow them in, but he would have had every right to say no to it.
A wedding couple just has one hour for the Sacrament and 23 hours (or at least a 4-6 hour reception) to “make a statement” or add a secular personal touch to their wedding day. To me, if a Catholic couple knows what is permitted and what the Sacrament of Matrimony is all about on the day of their marriage, why not save that 1 hour just for God and them. They have the rest of the day to focus on themselves and all the secular festivities of the occasion.
