Bride’s sheepadoodle steals the show in viral wedding video

DOOR COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) - When a bride decided to have her dog be part of her wedding, she couldn’t have expected that he’d end up being the star of the show.

Emily Cowles and her husband, Josh, married Aug. 22 in Door County, Wisconsin.

“Door County is just like heaven. It’s my happy place. So, we go back frequently. And yeah, that’s where we wanted to get married,” Cowles said.

The couple had decided that Cowles’s 5-year-old sheepadoodle, Swayze, needed to be part of their celebration.

“He is just a bright light to anybody who meets him. He’s so goofy and a great snuggler. Everybody calls him a Muppet. He’s just the best,” Cowles said.

Cowles had the idea to strap a GoPro onto Swayze and capture the celebration from the dog’s point of view.

Cowles posted the video of Swayze’s perspective of the wedding online. It has since gone viral, drawing millions of views.

“All of a sudden, the shares started going up. I’m like, what is going on? Then suddenly The Dodo’s reaching out, we got published in People, and then we woke up to being on Good Morning America. I’m like, what is going on?” Cowles said.

Cowles said the best part isn’t the attention the video received but the moments she didn’t know were caught on camera, including one between Swayze and her 91-year-old grandmother.

“He, like, took refuge in spending time with her for like 20 minutes. It was so sweet. And you can just hear him talk or her talking to him. And it was just so, so sweet to watch back,” Cowles said.

Cowles said she and Josh will keep those unscripted moments for years to come.

“There’s going to be a day when not all those people are going to be around. And especially Swayze. Um, so we’re going to be able to look back and it’s just going to bring a smile to our face for the rest of our lives,” Cowles said.

Cowles said Swayze has taken the newfound attention in stride.

“He’s so humble. We’re trying not to let it go to his head,” Cowles said.