“You may now lick the bride,” says the ceremony officiator, as newlywed couples in Oak Park enjoy their first moments of marriage bliss.

Within minutes, dozens of canine couples race toward the reception to gulp down their share of wedding cake, as their spouses become a fading memory.

Amid lace and frills, tuxedos and bow ties, dog weddings seem to be the latest trend, as states and towns compete to break the world record of mass marriages. Oak Park hosted 87 earlier this month at "I Do, Doggone It!" 

Though pet owners go out of their way to find the most dashing brides and grooms for their dogs, some skeptics raise doubts about the animals’ enjoyment of the event.

“The love life of dogs is kind of like the love life of a sheik and his harem,” says dog trainer and behavior expert Ami Moore, who does not believe dogs can handle a life-long commitment. “Dogs are naturally polygamous and naturally promiscuous.”

Moore says wolves in nature used to be monogamous, but their habits changed by coming into contact with humans. She says people have created a “juvenile promiscuous wolf” by training wild dogs and by introducing new breeding habits.

Though animal behavior gives no justification for dog weddings, humans dress their pets to their finest for the big day.

Psychology studies conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago show that people feel the need to attribute human emotions to their pets, or to inanimate objects, through a process called anthropomorphism.

Adam Waytz, a social psychology doctoral student at the University of Chicago, says the studies point to three reasons for this behavior.

First of all, people tend to render their pets or other objects more human because it offers them a sense of familiarity and understanding.

The second reason can be due to a sense of loneliness.

“When the need for social connections increases, humans are more likely to see pets and technological gadgets and robots as human,” Waytz said.

During the studies, researchers induced a sense of loneliness in the participants, before asking them to evaluate technical devices and animals. In most cases, lonely people attributed more human characteristics to the objects and pets than socially connected people.

According to the study, one of the most important reasons for anthropomorphism has to do with the need for control over unpredictable events. In order to interpret events that are not directly under our control, one study shows that people tend to use the human form to guide us in our interpretation.

“The human form is so accessible to us that, oftentimes, we will apply it to everything we see,” Waytz said.

Participants in one study saw the video of a predictable and an unpredictable dog, Waytz says. The viewers attributed more human feelings to the unpredictable dog because they wanted to make it as predictable as possible.

“If you encounter something unpredictable, like maybe your laptop fails, this increases the need for understanding and predictability,” Waytz said. “You might start talking to it like ‘Why did you do this to me?’ because the human form is familiar.”

Waytz said higher divorce rates and less fulfilling relationships in today’s society may account for more extreme ideas such as dog weddings. On the other hand, he said, such weddings may be a luxury for people who have more money than they know what to do with.

Psychology tests notwithstanding, determined supporters of dog weddings say the event is a great way for their pets to socialize.

“He’s a young guy. He’s just looking to play the field, looking to see what his options are,” said Kip Adrian, as his handsome bachelor dog speed-dated in the streets of Oak Park. “I don’t think he’s interested in anything long term right now. There isn’t going to be any marriage today.”

Though Oak Park widely missed the national record, with the 87 dog weddings this November, the $5 registration fees were donated to the Animal Care League. Downtown Oak Park, the non-profit corporation that manages and promotes the Oak Park central business district, sponsored the event.

So far, Littleton, Col., holds that record, for bringing 178 couples into “Howly Muttrimony,” the name of a 2007 mass marriage event.

“Any activity that humans undertake with their dogs is good to strengthen their bond,” said Ami Moore of the dog weddings. “My problem would be if the humans married the dog. That’s where I draw the line.”