A wedding is a tradition in and of itself, but within a wedding there are many opportunities for a couple to connect to their history, heritage, family, and values. We're excited to introduce this new series, Wedding Traditions, where real brides and grooms share the traditions they included in their big day, and what the tradition means to them.

Photo by: The Nichols

From Laura the bride: "We were married at the Gage Hotel in the remote town of Marathon, Texas, population 430. Marathon is the gateway to Big Bend National Park and encompassed by North America's largest desert, the Chihuahuan Desert. It is one of those epic Western landscapes that call for exploration.

We have two statuesque sighthounds, Fiona and Wyatt. Fiona is a Saluki that we rescued from the Qatar Veterinary Clinic in Doha, Qatar. She was found in the parking lot there one day . . . abandoned. Wyatt is a Saluki x Greyhound who hails from New Mexico where a good friend, Melanie Johnson, has a number of coursing sighthounds. Her prize winning courser, Winchester, was the father of a great looking litter of pups and we are so happy to be gifted one of his offspring.

We decided to include our two sighthounds, Fiona & Wyatt, in our wedding for many reasons. Dogs have been included in artwork for hundreds of years because they are thought to symbolize loyalty and commitment. This is definitely something we considered as we planned our wedding which is a ritual symbolizing loyalty and commitment. It is a perfect fit.

We also see our beloved sighthounds as part of our family and how could they not be a part of this monumental event in our lives. They are always involved in our daily lives and we really wanted our family and friends to meet them.

They are also very much at home in the desert landscape, long-legged animals rule the desert, and fit the overall look we wanted for our wedding: a modern take on a dusty desert landscape.

We knew from day one of wedding planning, that we wanted to get hitched in the desert with our desert sighthounds standing by our side!"

Did you include any meaningful traditions in your wedding? Send us a pic and a paragraph at [email protected].