Boston couple traveled all the way to New York to say 'I do' — only to include a special second witness that left everyone at wedding stunned

They had no ties to New York, but the witness rule made it the perfect place to get married.

PUBLISHED 14 HOURS AGO

(L ) A bride and groom waving at their wedding ; (R) Surprised-looking guests (Representative Cover Source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Simon Potter ; (R) Klaus Vedfelt)

Choosing the witness at your wedding can be a challenge, but not for this Boston couple. While everyone waited for Julia Moriggi and Tom Kuchenreuther, the pair surprised the guests with a very special witness. Though not from New York, the couple traveled all the way to the state just to make their dream wedding happen.

A bride and groom on their wedding day. Representative Image Source: Pexels | Emma Bauso — A bride and groom on their wedding day. (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Emma Bauso)

When Julia Moriggi planned to exchange vows with her fiancé, she had already decided who would serve as a witness on their big day. Moriggi told USA Today that she wanted her Golden Retriever, Wally, to be the second witness after learning that New York allows dogs to be listed as witnesses, as long as they’re accompanied by humans. While Moriggi is based in Boston, her husband is from New Jersey. "We have no ties to New York, but we knew the witness thing would be a deciding factor on where we chose to get married," Moriggi explained.

An adorable Maltese dog with its owner on her wedding day. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | ozgurcankaya)

Interestingly, the four-legged witness was also their "best boy" at their wedding on October 11. Wally not only walked them down the aisle but also greeted the guests at the wedding. "Everyone was smiling ear to ear when he walked down the aisle," Moriggi described. "We did a private last dance with him at the end of our reception, and he was able to see guests as they left and say goodbye." The wedding consisted of a special cake for Wally made by Boston-based dog bakery Dog Eat Cake, which read "I do too." While Wally did not have canine companions at the wedding party, the couple ensured that all the guests took home custom dog treats for their pets who "couldn't make it to the pawty," Moriggi said.

Representative Image Source: Pexels| Alina T. — A dog cake. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Alina T)

Moriggi revealed that Wally had a fantastic time at the wedding and was a "good boy" throughout the ceremony. "You could visibly see how happy and proud he was," Moriggi said. "He doesn't always understand what we're doing, but he loves us so much. He's just happy to be involved. He'll do anything as long as it means we are all together," Moriggi added. Describing Wally as a dog who "loves people," the dog mom said that the festivities did not exhaust her pooch. Moriggi joked that while people were delighted to see Wally as their wedding witness, "no one was surprised."

According to a report by Courtly, New York is among the states in the U.S. where pets can act as wedding witnesses. In some states, marriage laws require only one witness or sometimes none, which makes it possible for couples to include their pets on the marriage certificate as witnesses. Meanwhile, Colorado is one of 23 U.S. states where a wedding doesn’t legally require human witnesses. This allows couples to have their pet serve as the only witness, or to include both a pet and a person in that role. If you plan to do this, make sure your furry friend is calm and comfortable enough to stay composed throughout the ceremony.