On July 9, 2022, Johnny Hilbrant-Partridge and Justin Partridge presented each other with gifts ahead of their wedding ceremony at French’s Point, a private coastal estate in Stockton Springs, Maine. Standing before friends and family, Dr. Partridge first unwrapped a Movado watch from Mr. Hilbrant-Partridge. Then, Dr. Partridge suddenly walked out to retrieve his own surprise for his fiancé: a golden retriever puppy.

“I thought I was having a dream,” said Mr. Hilbrant-Partridge, 33, the senior director for customer experience at Beam, a wellness company. The two, who live in Cambridge, Mass., had longed for a second dog to join their older golden retriever, Nahla, for quite some time — especially Mr. Hilbrant-Partridge.

“I was like, You know what? I’m going to use this as an extra little thing for the wedding if I can pull it off,” said Dr. Partridge, 33, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at the Oral and Facial Surgery Centers of Massachusetts. The winter leading up to their nuptials, he reached out to the breeder they had used previously. The breeder not only expedited Dr. Partridge’s request, but also deflected Mr. Hilbrant-Partridge’s occasional queries concerning the availability of new puppies.

The plan went off without a hitch.

“Strategically, I wanted to surprise Johnny with the puppy prior to putting our wedding suits on so we weren’t covered in golden fur for all our photos,” Dr. Partridge said. The idea to include family and friends during the gift exchange was also his — Mr. Hilbrant-Partridge found it awkward and funny that Dr. Partridge had asked their loved ones to watch them give what he thought would be small, simple presents.