When Madeline Meineke was planning her wedding to Quinn Meineke, the bride knew she wanted to include a very important member of their family on their special day.
"It couldn't have been a wedding without Pennie included," the 26-year-old told "Good Morning America," referring to the couple's 2-year-old long-haired mini dachshund.
The Meinekes married April 6 at Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, and even though they couldn't include Pennie in their ceremony or reception, Madeline Meineke figured out a genius idea to make sure their pint-sized pup could join in on the festivities with them, surprising her beloved groom in the process as well.
2-year-old golden retriever steals the show at parents' wedding"I thought, 'What better way to include Pennie than for Quinn to turn around during our first look, thinking that it's me ... but it's Miss Pennie?'" Madeline Meineke explained to "GMA" of the surprise.
The bride said "it was really hard to keep it a secret," but she and her videographer Claudia Goodwin and photographer Heather Dettore managed to pull off the big reveal.
Golden retriever named Pancakes steals the show as wedding ring bearerThe moment with Pennie, who wore a small white dress for the surprise, was captured in a clip shared by Claudia Goodwin Films on Instagram. The reel quickly went viral, picking up over 16 million views and over 1.3 million likes in nearly two weeks.
"I had no idea whatsoever. I was fully expecting to turn around and see Madeline so that's why you can see in the video, my eyes kind of go up and then I looked down and [go], 'Is this actually Pennie? Is she here?'" Quinn Meineke, 30, recalled.
"I thought it was really special and a great surprise," the groom added. "It also calmed my nerves quite a bit, because I was fully expecting to see her and probably just break down, so it was a great nerve easer, I would say, to turn around and see Pennie."
The Meinekes said their wedding, along with the unexpected first look, all turned into the "best day ever."
For other couples looking to include their pet in their wedding, Madeline Meineke encouraged them to go for it.
"Do what you want, and make it something special between you and your spouse, and remember that's the whole point of your special day, and you'll remember it forever," she said.
Editor's Note: The Instagram reel has picked up over 16 million views. A previous version of this story misstated it had picked up over 1.3 million views.