Relationships4 min(s) read
Wedding traditions have changed over the years, with couples finding unique ways to make their special day stand out.
One trend that gained popularity was the "trash the dress" photoshoot, which sees brides taking their expensive wedding gowns into unconventional settings to create snapshots.
But for 30-year-old bride Maria Pantazopoulos, taking part in the trend ended in tragedy after she entered a river for a photoshoot following her wedding.
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Wedding dresses have traditionally been carefully preserved after the ceremony, sometimes remaining stored away for generations. The "trash the dress" trend turned that idea on its head.
Instead of keeping their gowns clean, brides would put them back on for a photoshoot in an unusual, rugged, or messy environment, like a beach, lake, or muddy field, designed to contrast with the elegance of traditional wedding photography.
Maria took part in one such shoot on June 9, 2012, after marrying her husband, Billy, earlier that day.
Pictures from the wedding showed the newlyweds smiling together and surrounded by confetti.
Later, Maria headed to the Ouareau River near Dorwin Falls in Rawdon, Montreal, for the photoshoot with photographer Louis Pagakis. No members of her family accompanied her during the shoot.
According to BBC News, Maria entered the river while wearing her wedding gown, but the dress became increasingly heavy after absorbing water.
The bride, who was described as "small of stature" and weighing around 100lbs, was overwhelmed after a current pulled her toward the bottom. The water in that section was reportedly around eight meters deep.
She had her wedding dress on and she said 'take some pictures of me while I swim a little bit in the lake,'" Pagakis told CTV News. "She went in and her dress got heavy, I tried everything I could to save her. I jumped in, I was screaming and yelling. We tried our best."
Per the Toronto Sun, Maria's final words to the photographer were: "I can't anymore, it's too heavy."
The incident happened at around 2:00PM. Maria's body was recovered roughly four hours later.
Sgt. Ronald McInnis, speaking on behalf of the Quebec provincial police, said Maria had initially been standing in shallow water.
"She was doing the photo shoot in about six inches or one foot of water when part of her wedding dress got soaked and became extremely heavy.
"She started slipping and falling down when the photographer grabbed her but she was too heavy that he couldn't pull her from the edge."
McInnis said he had never previously encountered a case like it.
"It's horrible," he added. "This is the first time I've heard of a story like that. I told my partner, this is a story that is going to go all around the world."
Following Maria's death, CTV Montreal reported that photographer Mario Michaud came forward and said another bride he had been photographing had nearly suffered a similar fate months earlier at the same location.
Maria's family called on local authorities to introduce additional protections at the location.
Daily Mail reported that they stressed that the late bride would not knowingly have placed herself in danger.
"One thing we are certain about is that our Maria would have never put her life at risk," her family said. "Her love for life, for her husband and for her family would never allow it...She trusted Mr. Louis Pagakis' recommendation for the location and felt safe enough to attend the photo shoot alone with the photographers."
"The family asks the municipal council of Rawdon to work on putting in place stronger security measures to avoid any future tragedies," they added.
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