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A couple's dog filmed their wedding with a GoPro that was attached to his collar, and the video footage is actually stunning

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Julia Luckett and Nick Pierce's dog was their videographer for their 2019 wedding. Jacquelyn Potter

  • Julia Luckett and Nick Pierce got married in June 2019.
  • Their dog Zhivago filmed the wedding with a GoPro that was attached to his collar.
  • "We were pretty blown away by what he captured," Luckett told Insider of the footage.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Julia Luckett and Nick Pierce were certain about a few aspects of their wedding as soon as they started planning.

They knew they wanted to get married on Luckett's family's property in South Hero, Vermont.

They knew they wanted to balance making the day a celebration of their marriage and a party for all of their loved ones.

And they knew they wanted their dog, Zhivago, to be part of it all.

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Luckett and Pierce were together for years before they got engaged

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The couple originally met in college. Jacquelyn Potter

The couple met at Skidmore College, where they both studied music. 

They lost touch, but in 2011, they reconnected at a "dive bar" in Saratoga Springs, New York, while Nick pursued becoming a librarian and Luckett was launching her photography career.

The couple has been together ever since.

Pierce proposed in 2018, at Luckett's family property in Vermont. 

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Pierce and Luckett got married on her family's property in South Hero, Vermont. Jacquelyn Potter

"He proposed there because it's our favorite place," Luckett told Insider. "That's also why we decided to get married there."

It's a family tradition for couples in Luckett's family to get married on the land, which was purchased by her great-great-great-grandfather years ago.

"My parents actually got married on that property, along with many other family members," Luckett said. "It's definitely a special family location to everyone."

As Luckett and Pierce started planning the wedding, they brainstormed ways for their dog to be part of the nuptials

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The couple wanted to include their dog Zhivago in the wedding. Jacquelyn Potter

They have had Zhivago for nearly three years, and he plays a huge role in their life.

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"We knew we wanted to incorporate him into the wedding somehow, but he's definitely a very adventurous and spirited dog," Luckett said, so they knew they had to be creative in how he became part of the day.

They got the idea to have Zhivago film the wedding with a GoPro after seeing friends do the same with their dog.

"It was so great and fun," Luckett said of the footage her friend's pup captured.

"It just seemed like an amazing idea that's really quirky," she added.

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They attached a GoPro to Zhivago's collar. Jacquelyn Potter

So Pierce and Luckett borrowed a GoPro from their cousins Stephen and Alix Bower for the wedding.

They did a few test-runs with the camera attached to Zhivago's collar at home so they could figure out the best settings to document their wedding.

By the wedding day, June 22, 2019, Zhivago was ready to film.

"We were pretty blown away by what he captured," Luckett said of Zhivago's video

Zhivago captured moments before the wedding, the ceremony, and the cocktail hour in his footage.

 

"For the whole portion that has cocktail hour, he's just running from person to person and getting snacks and treats from everyone," Luckett said of the video.

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She also had to edit out some of the dog's snacking. "There's 10 minutes of footage where he's just hanging out with one person who's feeding him cheese off of the appetizer table."

"Everyone definitely loved it," Luckett said of guests' reactions to Zhivago acting as the camera dog.

"Dogs brighten everyone's days usually, so they were happy," she added. "Plus, he's very friendly, so he was just going up to everyone and saying hello."

Pierce and Luckett personalized other aspects of their wedding day as well

For instance, the couple had a first look, where they saw one another in their wedding attire for the first time.

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Luckett got her Rue De Seine gown from Everthine Bridal and her shoes from Korkease, while Pierce's ensemble came from Suit Supply. Jackie Maria did the bride's makeup.

During the first look, the couple exchanged their vows privately before their actual ceremony.

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Luckett and Pierce exchanged vows privately before the ceremony. Jacquelyn Potter

"It was super intimate," Luckett said of saying her vows to Pierce before the ceremony. "It was just us and our photographer friend, Jacquelyn Potter."

"We really just got to cry and get messy and feel all of our feelings."

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"Then when it came to the ceremony, it still felt really meaningful to say those words but it also took that edge off," she added, as they didn't have to be nervous about expressing themselves.

"Sharing our vows twice on our wedding day just made them more meaningful."

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Luckett's mentor from high school was the officiant. Jacquelyn Potter

Luckett's mentor, a history teacher from high school, officiated the ceremony, where the couple exchanged vows and rings.

Luckett's rings came from Perrywinkles Fine Jewelry, while Pierce's were from Castro Smith. Julia's wedding party also sported rings from Local Eclectic at the event.

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Luckett also made the invitations and signs for the wedding, bringing her expertise as a wedding photographer to the day. 

The wedding was expertly planned by Randi Nonni Events.

Luckett told Insider she loved making her favorite vendors part of the day as well, like Casey Blanchard Studios, which made the table numbers; the florist, Fast Pony Flowers; and Artisaire, which provided the stamps.

The ceremony took place by the water, while the reception was held in a tent

Vermont Tent Company provided the tent for the over-100-person event. Luckett said she and Pierce worked to make the reception fun for their guests.

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"It felt really special and very personal. But really fun, too," she said of the wedding.

"That was one of those things that we wanted to balance: having it feel intimate and about love, but also about having all these people together."

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The reception took place in a tent. Jacquelyn Potter

Music played a big role in the day as well, with a friend of the couple playing them a song during the ceremony and Luckett's mother arranging for all of the attendees to serenade the newlyweds during the reception.

The DC Project Band provided music for the rest of the night.

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Cloud 9 served as the caterer and Deli 126 provided the bar, while Sweet Babu made the wedding cake and Lake Champlain Chocolates made a chocolate sculpture for the day. 

The couple also had two special guests at the wedding: Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry's

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Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's served ice cream at the wedding. Jacquelyn Potter

Cohen and Greenfield are friends of Luckett's family.

"I grew up around their kids, and we knew they were going to get invited to the wedding, of course."

The duo offered to serve ice cream for Luckett at the event, adding a little more fun to the day.

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"They're great," she added of the pair, who she's known all of her life.

Luckett told Insider that the wedding felt even more joyful because she and Pierce had been together for years before they got married

"It was great to have our wedding feel like this is the time in our lives where we feel mature and ready to take that commitment on," she said,

"We had already been emotionally committed for many, many years before we got engaged or decided to take those steps."

The wedding was just a way to celebrate that commitment.

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Luckett told Insider communication is a big strength in her relationship. Jacquelyn Potter

"We are very good at listening to each other," Luckett said of her relationship. "We're constantly working on communicating and just being there for each other."

"We like to have a lot of fun together," she added.

You can read more about the wedding on Luckett's blog and follow Luckett on Instagram here.

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