Dove Release & Petal Toss....

I posted this on the vendor board and thought I should add this here!
I have a question on the dove release which I am really thinking about. Do you do the petal toss and also the dove release or is it one or the other? For one my church FORBIDS (my priest stressed it this much) against throwing anything in the church. But I LOVE the petal throwing at us when we walk out of the church. BUT I also want to do the dove release. So I am stumped. Can we do both or only one?

Thanks

Honestly I would do the petal toss only. You cannot do too much, as your guests will not know what is going on and when to throw their petals.
I am not a fan of using live animals during the wedding day. But if you need to do the dove release please, please, please make sure you get the doves from a reputable dealer that LOVES his birds. Many birdes die and are treated horribly by vendors.

Yes- I meant birds, not brides.

im not saying this to scare you...but i was planning on having a dove relase at my wedding, but an acquaintance who is a wedding planner said that it is on her list of things NEVER to do for your wedding...never involve live animals...sorry for the warning!!

Michelle...I hope you meant birds!!! lol

I agree...

I would go with the petals...it makes for beautiful pictures! My church is very strict as well, and the only thing that they do allow is petals because they are biodegradable.

I am doing the doves. I am using a vendor from this board- Wedding Wings. They are very reputable and take good care of their birds. They are their pets. I have looked into to their company and would suggest you giving them a call. If you want to do the birds, please do not let other people talk you out of it. It is perfectly legal and perfectly safe. These birds are in fact white homing pigeons and they love to fly. They are birds, that's what they do. While I do agree that it is important to make sure that the animals are treated well before hiring a company, I do not think that there is anything wrong with doing a release at all. Wedding Wings will not release the birds if it is too far for them to fly to get home, if the weather is bad, or if it will be dark when they must fly.

I am not interested in starting a whole big animal rights debate on this issue as has been done 100 times before on this board and many others, but I will say this- Nobody loves animals more than me. I presently have 3 cats, one of which was a stray that I took in a few months ago and nursed back to health (she's gained over 3 pounds!). I would never do anything that would endanger the life of any animal- big or small. The bird releases are 100% safe and 100% ethical. They do not die, they are not hurt, they are not exploited or abused, they are simply released so they may fly home- That's what birds do- they fly.

I will step off my soap box now.

For all of you talking about endangering the birds, I for one am the last person to be told just that b/c my family and I are animal lovers. So much to the point that I asked my priest if my dog Benji could walk down the aisle with my mom. Unfortunately he doesn't qualify as a seeing eye dog so he is out. Our pets are part of our lives. They even go on vacations with us. So I honestly don't want to start a discussion on animal cruelty.

I have spoken via e-mail to Frank from Wedding Wings and I am confident that his business is a reputable place and he is more concerned with the birds well being than the money.
He is so much more concerned with the birds that he said that in the event their is bad weather (in my case a thunderstorm) at the last minute, we may not be able to release the doves. They make the decision not me. AND the birds know their way home. Sometimes they make it to his home before he does!

So again, my question is, is it okay to do both or just one or the other.

BTW Taraalissa: do you have recommendations on how to make a dog lose weight? My dog is getting chunky (one of his many nicknames) and he eats more than me and my sister put together. AND he is shi tzu!! Literally a rolly polly!!
But I feel so bad depriving him from food. I look at that little face, its so hard to refuse!

cw..when i responded before i wasn't really talking from the animal cruelty perspective...i am sure that noone on this board would ever do anything to endanger an animal...it's just that i was told that it can get tricky when live animals are invovled, ie they might not do what theyre supposed to do, exactly the way theyre supposed to do it...i guess doves can do nothing else but fly so theres not much room for error there..

anyway, to answer your real question, i would release the doves first as soon as you and your hubby emerge from the church and then have people throw the petals as you proceed..good luck to you!!

Thanks for the response dkga.
Once I talk to Frank from wedding wings in further details, I am sure he has had situations like mine where couples can't make up their decisions or geez want both!
Thanks again and no worries on the animal stuff.

just to put your mind at ease. The 'Doves' are actually whit homers. Any one who tells you they are relaseing doves and not homers is probably not telling you the truth. Homers are capable of flying hundres of mile. In fact some of our birds who are the parents of our current stock have flown home from Lake George in their racing days. The birds fly 2x times daily weather permitting. They need to have this exercise to prevent then from stiffing up. . Our birds have been doing their thing at weddings for about three years. and they seem to know what to do once they are put into the baskets. Our birds are pretty pampered even to the point on weekly 'mineral baths'. By all means talk to the perspective vendor and ask for recomendations. You should not have any qualms about the birds safety if the owner of the birds is reputable. Hope this puts some of your concerns to rest. sincerly
Frank

Please excuse my apparent lack of typing skills.
Frank

Hope this helps. Yes I have been to weddings where they did bothe the doves and petal toss. This is how they went. When the newly married couple came out of the church we did the dove release right at he top of the church steps. After the doves were aloft the couple headed to their limos where they were showered with rose petals. The photographer was very helpful in settin this up. If you decide on a release make sure you use someone who contacts the pohotagher rrrrprior to the wedding, Often the photographer has lots of good ideas and experence with this.
Frank

I'm visiting from the newlywed boards...


I did the dove release and it was absolutely breathtaking. Wont you be using rose petals when the flower girls walk down the aisle (and throw them from the basket) ? Thats an option to use both of your ideas...
When I did the doves, the vendor also 'threw in' I beleive 25 packets of birdseed to be thrown at us.

I say go with the doves !!!!!

I wish I could have the petals tossed in the church but my priest said NO without me finishing my sentence so I can't do anything about that. We can have petals tossed outside the church.
Although Frank did bring up a good idea for me.
Thanks Frank for the tips!

Wow that's a coincidence. MY FH's father raised homing pidgeons before he got sick. His name was also Frank. The birds were white and looked exactly like white doves. He spent so much time with them and took great care of them. He luved these birds. He just finished training them to fly long distances and have them find their way back home and he got sick. After he passed away, FH was going to keep them and start his own business releasing them for weddings by people who wanted them. It was too hard for him to upkeep them so he sold the birds. I would luv to release two birds at my wedding. Anyone know what the price runs now for 2 doves?