A bride has shared a warning about the growing trend of couples jumping into a pool at the end of their wedding reception after the tradition nearly ended in disaster on her big day.
Jumping into water has become a hallmark of the “trash the dress” trend, which sees brides deliberately ruining their gowns after the ceremony in search of a memorable — or viral — photo opportunity.
However, Tennessee-based bride Shelby Crawford recently posted a TikTok video showing how the tradition can go wrong. The clip sees her and her husband, Corey Crawford, leaping into a swimming pool together after their nuptials; however, while Corey quickly resurfaces, Shelby is engulfed with the enormous train of her wedding dress.
Shelby can be seen struggling in the water until Corey helps lift the dress out of the way so that her head can surface.
“The saxophones getting louder as everyone films me drowning in my wedding dress,” she wrote in the text over the video. In the caption, she added: “In their defense, they said I was so quiet they didn’t think anything was wrong… to which I replied, ‘Yeah, drowning is typically silent.’”
@shelbyleighhhh In their defense they said I was so quiet they didn't think anything was wrong... to which I replied yeah drowning is typically silent 🙃 . . . . #bride #weddingday #trashthedress #2026bride
♬ original sound - LoverboyMarcus96
Many people expressed their concern about the trend in the comments of the clip, which has more than 3 million views. “That’s terrifying,” one wrote, while another added: “Now why would we even do that?”
“Did Ronnie & Roxy teach us nothing?” a third wrote, referring to two characters from the British soap opera EastEnders, who died after drowning in a swimming pool.
According to Shelby, the online response has changed her perspective on the wedding stunt, and she’s urging couples to take extra precautions before doing it.
“The adrenaline of the day just got to us,” she said during an interview with People. “We were excited and not thinking clearly.”
“I never understood why people did stupid or dangerous things to go viral,” she added, before telling women to avoid wearing their wedding dresses when they jump into a pool. “Do an outfit change before. We are very blessed to be okay, but no viral moment is worth losing someone you love, especially on such a special day.”
Shelby said she’s since learnt that people have died from doing the same stunt she did.
One incident that made headlines was in 2012, when one bride, Maria Pantazopoulos, drowned in the Ouareau River near Montreal, Canada, during a post-wedding photoshoot, according to the BBC.
