"Trash the Dress" Trend Turns Deadly

It's a gleeful goodbye to wedding gowns—a trend known as "Trash the Dress," as newlyweds playfully destroy the beautiful garment they no longer need, often by jumping into water.

But for a beautiful newlywed, the trend turned tragic when her "Trash the Dress" plan went horribly wrong.

Maria Pantazopoulos got married last June, and wanted to have herself photographed swimming in her wedding dress. But as Maria entered a Canadian river, the gown became water logged and the current literally dragged her away. She drowned and the grief-stricken photographer explained what happened.

Maria's photographer said, "She went in, her dress got heavy. I did everything I could to save her, everything I possibly could. We tried our best to save her, but we couldn't save her."

Maria's tragedy hits close to home for photographer Chrisanta Lopez of Infiniti Foto in Los Angeles, California. Her specialty is "Trash the Dress" photo shoots, but her motto is "Safety First."

Lopez said, "A dress can weigh a lot, especially if you have a long train. You have to realize how heavy it can be with water in it."

INSIDE EDITION joined Lopez on a photo shoot on a beach in Los Angeles, where a bride wanted to trash her wedding dress in the Pacific Ocean, but she was careful to always remain in the shallow water.

In the end, one happy bride went home with a soggy, sand-stained dress, while another bride never made it home at all.