Terminally Ill Golden Retriever Shocks Her Bride Owner at Wedding: ‘That's the Stuff You See in Movies’ (Exclusive)

• Anna and Steven Carter got married on Sept. 7, 2024 at Bellevue Barn at Carlisle Place in Jefferson, New Hampshire. Their wedding day was made even more special by sweet actions from their senior golden retriever, Maybeline Joy

• Despite having two types of terminal cancer, the 11-and-a-half-year-old dog radiated happiness at the wedding. She walked her mother down the aisle, had a daddy-daughter dance and wore a tutu made out of Anna's wedding dress sleeves

• "It filled my heart with so much joy and warmth knowing she made it through two cancer diagnoses and had the opportunity to start another chapter of life with me, it's like she knew I needed her there with me," the bride tells PEOPLE

A terminally ill golden retriever made her human parents' wedding day a memory they'll "cherish forever."

After Anna and Steven Carter's 11-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever, Maybeline "Maybel" Joy, was diagnosed with two types of terminal cancer in June 2024, they knew they had to make every moment left with her count — including her special role in their wedding on Sept. 7, 2024 at Bellevue Barn at Carlisle Place in Jefferson, New Hampshire.

"I tried to make Maybel a part of everything for the wedding because as silly as it sounds she has literally helped me through unimaginable times in my life," Anna tells PEOPLE. "They say dogs are the most loyal, and that is just an understatement."

Before the wedding ceremony, Anna shared a heartfelt first look with Maybel. That morning, the senior pup didn't leave her mother's side as she got ready for her big day. When Maybel saw Anna in her wedding dress, she couldn't help but wag her tail and run up to her.

"I know most brides nowadays want to do a first look with their soon-to-be husband, but for me I needed one with Maybeline!" Anna says. "It was just so special."

"She knew in her heart what she was supposed to do and ran right up to her mommy!" she continues. "It filled my heart with so much joy and warmth knowing she made it through two cancer diagnoses and had the opportunity to start another chapter of life with me. It's like she knew I needed her there with me."

Maybel was diagnosed on June 14, 2024 with sarcomatoid mesothelioma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer that is often caused by asbestos exposure. She was also diagnosed with thyroid cancer with vascular involvement.

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But Maybel doesn't look or act like a sick dog. At the wedding, she was the star of the show.

Anna's wedding dress came with huge, puffy sleeves. Instead of tossing them out, she had her seamstress transform the sleeves into a tutu for Maybel to wear. For an extra bridal touch, Anna also made Maybel arm bracelets and a bandana out of sparkly fabric.

A video filmed by Jordan Johnson Production and posted by the bride on TikTok has more than 1.7 million views. In the clips, Maybel surprised her parents during the ceremony.

Although Maybel was supposed to only be the couple's ring bearer, she inserted herself into the ceremony in other sweet ways. In a complete surprise, Maybel ran to meet her mother at the end of the aisle. She then walked alongside Anna and her father down the aisle. Once at the wedding arch, Maybel laid down on Anna's wedding dress train.

"I actually had no idea initially that Maybel helped walk me down the aisle until seeing pictures from the wedding, and my Lord did the waterworks start!" Anna says. "I was speechless, seeing the video, I could not even believe my eyes."

Maybel also walked the mother of the bride down the aisle.

"To see Maybel walk us both down the aisle on the most important day of my life fills me with so much happiness and a memory I will cherish forever," Anna shares. "As far as Maybel laying down on my gown, that's the stuff you see in movies, never in real life."

She continues: "In the back of my head I never said out loud to anyone, but I always thought, how crazy would it be if Maybel just laid next to her mommy on her big day?! The fact it actually happened is unimaginable to me!"

The wedding guests were just as "shocked" as the bride.

"It's like you could hear all the 'awws' all at once," Anna says. "Me on the other hand, I was SO happy I felt like I couldn't move, I didn't want her to get up! I was in shock and filled with so much joy!"

Wedding guests couldn't help but sneak out their phones to capture the "precious" moment.

After Anna, 29, and Steven, 30, said "I do," Maybel walked them back down the aisle and sweetly watched their dip kiss.

At the reception, Steven and Maybel had a heartwarming daddy-daughter dance to Chris Stapleton's "Joy of My Life."

Nods of Maybel and her new golden retriever sister, 9-month-old Daffodil May, were also everywhere in the decor — from dog drawings on glassware to figurines taking bites out of the wedding cake.

"Every year I throw Maybel a big birthday party just as if she was a human because she means that much to me. With that, instead of table numbers, I made each birthday party a table number," Anna says. "The guests loved it and it was just another way of adding the love of my life (Maybel LOL) into our wedding."

Anna believes Maybel must have thought the wedding was thrown just for her because she radiated happiness.

"Just as she is the most important thing to me, I know the feeling is mutual and I try to give her the best life she could possibly have," she says.

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Anna watched her aunt's dog, Daisy, give birth to Maybel and several other puppies on May 27, 2013. Because Anna was preparing to attend nursing school that fall, she never anticipated keeping one of the dogs for herself. But as she was helping her aunt take care of the pups that summer, Maybel became "constantly attached" to her.

"Truly would cry the second she saw me and would not stop until I picked her up," Anna recalls. "Fast forward three months and every pup was ready to go home with their new parents. One of the puppies did not have a home to go to … Now here we are 11.5 years later and somehow miss Maybeline managed to sneak her way into my life and it is the greatest joy I could have ever asked for."

The day Maybel was diagnosed with her cancers, Anna and Steven knew they had "a long road ahead" of them. While at the animal hospital, Steven suddenly told Anna he needed to leave the room.

"He left and within an hour somehow managed to have a 'companion' as he says to help support Maybel and I through this difficult time we were about to encounter, all two months before our wedding," Anna remembers. "And that is when we added Daffodil May to our family!"

Since Maybel was diagnosed with her terminal illnesses, she's been doing "AMAZING!"

"She has kicked the prognosis of a few weeks to maybe two months out of the park!" Anna says. "She did go for major surgery to have two tumors removed, but when we found out more detailed biopsy results from the actual tumors, her oncology team did not recommend further treatment."

"She is thriving with her new sister Daffodil May," Anna adds. "She has taught her so many of her personality traits and it just warms my heart knowing that Daffodil has already had this much time with Maybel. Maybel has taught us to be strong, brave in our everyday encounters and to enjoy every second of every day because your life can change so quickly right before your eyes."

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