After struggling to breathe during a wedding-night pool jump, Shelby Crawford tells PEOPLE she later learned similar stunts have turned deadly for other brides
Credit: The Hardcastle’s Photography/Leah & Travis Hardcastle
NEED TO KNOW
- Shelby Crawford says she learned some brides have died attempting wedding pool jumps in heavy dresses after her dress nearly suffocated her during her own pool jump
- The Tennessee bride says she initially assumed people nearby would notice if something went wrong during her own pool jump
- Crawford now hopes other couples think twice before attempting similar wedding-night stunts
After Shelby Crawford posted a TikTok of herself struggling in a pool during her wedding reception, the messages started pouring in almost immediately. What shocked her most wasn’t the attention but how many people warned her that brides had actually died attempting similar pool jumps in heavy dresses.
“I had no idea that people had actually passed away from doing that,” Crawford, 30, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
The Chattanooga bride says she never viewed the stunt as particularly dangerous because she wasn’t alone in the water. Her husband, Corey Crawford, had jumped in beside her, and dozens of wedding guests stood nearby watching.
Credit: The Hardcastle’s Photography/Leah & Travis Hardcastle
“In my mind, I was thinking if something did go wrong, there would be someone to help because I wasn't alone,” she says.
Instead, Crawford says the experience taught her how quickly things can become dangerous underwater, especially when heavy formalwear is involved. Seconds after jumping in, the layers of her wedding dress floated over her face and became difficult to push away.
“The dress had a ton of heavy layers, and I kept trying to push it off of my face, but it would just go right back because it was so heavy,” she recalls.
What frightened Crawford even more afterward was realizing that guests nearby never recognized she was struggling. From outside the pool, she says she appeared calm enough that nobody understood what was happening.
“People close by may not even realize you're struggling,” she says. “I see now how fast it all happens and how quick and silent drowning could be.”
Crawford said she had no idea people had died in similar situations until viewers began sharing stories in the comments. Among the cases that gained widespread attention, the Irish Mirror reported on a Canadian bride who drowned in 2012 after entering a river in her wedding gown for photos.
Credit: shelbyleighhhh/TikTok
The response online completely changed the way Crawford thinks about dramatic wedding stunts and the kinds of risky moments that often spread quickly on social media. Looking back now, she says the excitement of the wedding day clouded her judgment.
“The adrenaline of the day just got to us,” she explains. “We were excited and not thinking clearly.”
Crawford says she also sees viral moments differently now after unexpectedly finding herself at the center of one. Before posting the video, she says she never understood why dangerous content seemed to spread so quickly online.
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Credit: The Hardcastle’s Photography/Leah & Travis Hardcastle
“I never understood why people did stupid or dangerous things to go viral,” she says. “But I see now those are the exact kind of things that go viral super quickly.”
Now, Crawford hopes other couples take extra precautions before attempting wedding-night pool photos or similar stunts in formalwear. Her biggest recommendation is simple: change clothes first.
“Do an outfit change before,” she says. “We are very blessed to be okay, but no viral moment is worth losing someone you love, especially on such a special day.”
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